As the world prepares for the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Belize Prime Minister John Briceño departed his home country on Wednesday for the conference host city of New York City. The annual high-level gathering brings together heads of government and state from across the globe to tackle some of the most pressing transnational challenges of our time, with this year’s agenda centered on climate action, global public health progress, cross-border peace and security, and coordinated humanitarian response to crises worldwide.
During Briceño’s absence, which is scheduled to conclude with his return to Belize next Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde — who also holds the cabinet portfolio of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining — will step into the role of Acting Prime Minister to oversee the day-to-day operations of government.
While in New York, Briceño is set to participate in a dedicated working summit for leaders of small developing states, a gathering focused on forging stronger cross-national cooperation to counter the unique economic, social, and environmental vulnerabilities that disproportionately impact small nations. Briceño will outline Belize’s firsthand experience and policy perspective on building climate and economic resilience for small states, and he is expected to underline that deeper coordinated action is essential to addressing shared global challenges and advancing inclusive sustainable development across all small island and low-lying developing nations.