On August 28, 2026, Belize officially kicked off a landmark multi-hazard disaster preparedness project developed in partnership with the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund, a scheme designed to shore up the Central American nation’s capacity to anticipate, track, and respond to climate-linked natural hazards, particularly floods and wildfires.
The launch event held Thursday brought together two of Belize’s key government agencies: the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, and the Ministry of the Public Service, Disaster Risk Management and Enterprise. During the ceremony, the two bodies formalized their partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding that lays out the project’s clear governance structure. The agreement was signed by Orlando Habet, minister of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, and Henry Charles Usher, head of the public service and disaster risk management ministry, with Amino Chi, Taiwan’s ambassador to Belize, in attendance as an official witness.
Unlike broad, national-level disaster management schemes, this initiative centers its work directly on vulnerable local populations, targeting 16 communities across Belize that have been identified as facing the highest risk of natural hazards. Through on-the-ground interventions, the project will work directly with local groups to build their ability to prepare for incoming disasters and mount effective emergency responses when events occur.
Beyond community capacity building, the project allocates funding for three cutting-edge automated wildfire early warning monitoring stations, infrastructure that will fill critical gaps in Belize’s current hazard monitoring network. It also includes a comprehensive training component, which will upskill approximately 20 technical personnel in core skills including cross-agency emergency coordination and systematic hazard risk assessment, laying a long-term foundation for improved disaster management across the country.