Carib Scope

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  • Belisle Eyes Comeback as PUP Faces Heat in Belmopan

    Belisle Eyes Comeback as PUP Faces Heat in Belmopan

    Months before Belmopan’s 2026 municipal elections are set to take place, the capital city’s political contest is already intensifying, with shifting alliances, mounting controversy and unexpected challengers upending what was once projected to be a straightforward race.

    The People’s United Party (PUP), which currently holds both the mayoralty and the city’s area representative seat, is facing growing headwinds. Questions surrounding sitting Area Representative Oscar Mira have created an opening for opposition candidates, turning the Belmopan mayoral race into one of the most closely watched electoral contests in the entire country.

    At the center of the opposition push is former Belmopan mayor Khalid Belisle, the United Democratic Party (UDP) caretaker for the city, who has formally launched a bid to reclaim the executive seat he previously held. With roughly eight months remaining until election day, Belisle says his campaign strategy will center on direct, grassroots engagement with city residents.

    “You are really going to see not only our full city council team, but myself out on the streets going house to house visiting residents,” Belisle shared in an interview with News Five. “I prefer to listen rather than to speak. I would much rather hear what is on the minds and in the hearts of residents of the city as we prepare to contest an election. That way, if we are successful on election day, the incoming city council will be able to address those concerns in as timely a fashion as they possibly can.”

    Isidoro Richie Galvez has also joined the race as another mayoral candidate, adding further unpredictability to a field already roiled by political uncertainty.

    Fending off Belisle’s challenge is incumbent PUP Mayor Pablo Cawich, who confirmed that he and his full sitting city council team have filed their applications to run for re-election under the PUP banner. Cawich emphasized that his administration has prioritized improving public services for Belmopan residents, and is preparing to roll out new administrative systems designed to streamline access to city services for all constituents.

    What makes this election cycle notable so far is both leading candidates’ public rejection of the negative, mudslinging political tactics that have long plagued local races in Belmopan.

    “Politics is politics and it is a very nasty game. I don’t – I personally don’t like the negativity in politics,” Cawich said, echoing comments from Belisle, who similarly distanced himself from attacks-focused campaigning.

    “I personally don’t lean into those negative aspects of our politics. Anybody that knows me will understand that’s not what I’m about,” Belisle said. “I have never been about trying to elevate myself by bringing down other candidates.”

    Still, political observers note that pressure from party operatives and campaign teams often pushes candidates to deploy negative tactics as election day draws closer, especially in a capital city with a long history of scandal-driven local politics. With months of campaigning still ahead, all sides are already positioning for what is set to be a hard-fought contest for control of Belmopan City Hall.

  • Consternation and reactions to the Supreme Court’s decision on TPS

    Consternation and reactions to the Supreme Court’s decision on TPS

    On June 25, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling upholding the Trump administration’s plan to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitian migrants currently residing in the United States. The decision has triggered widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and immigration advocates, who warn of devastating humanitarian consequences for the affected community.

    The Boston-based Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), a leading human rights non-profit that operates in close collaboration with Haiti’s Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) and local Haitian activists, issued a scathing statement expressing deep dismay over the court’s outcome.

    Just one week before the ruling, the organization noted, Haitian TPS holders were living ordinary, legally protected lives across the U.S. — holding jobs, attending school, participating in religious and community life, and contributing to local economies. Now, these same individuals face the immediate threats of forced family separation, arbitrary immigration detention, and deportation back to Haiti, a country grappling with widespread insecurity, political collapse, and catastrophic living conditions.

    IJDH also criticized the legal reasoning behind the Supreme Court’s majority decision. The group condemned the ruling for stripping lower courts of the authority to review challenges to overreaching actions by the executive branch. Most pointedly, IJDH expressed incredulity that the court’s majority concluded former President Trump’s widely publicized, hostile statements about Haitian people did not qualify as overtly racist.

    Despite the disappointing outcome, IJDH confirmed that it and its partner organizations had anticipated the ruling and have spent months preparing for the next phase of advocacy to protect TPS holders. The group is working in coordination with congressional allies in Washington D.C. and a broad coalition of other immigration advocates to continue the fight for Haitian TPS beneficiaries.

    Legal experts have outlined the timeline and next steps for affected migrants. Emi MacLean, lead counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California — which represents TPS holders from Haiti, Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal — explained that Supreme Court rulings typically go into effect 32 days after they are publicly announced. During this window, Haitian and Syrian TPS holders retain their current right to work in the U.S.

    Once the 32-day period concludes, however, all Haitian and Syrian TPS holders who received work authorization through the program will almost certainly lose that permission, according to Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Miñana Family Center for Immigration Law and Policy.

    In response to the ruling, legal teams and immigration activists are urging all affected TPS holders to immediately explore alternative immigration pathways that would allow them to remain in the United States legally. These potential options include applying for asylum or seeking work-based visas, but advocates note that the current U.S. administration has enacted significant barriers that make these alternatives far more difficult to access than in previous years. For many of the 350,000 affected Haitians, the final choice will likely come down to voluntary return to Haiti or facing formal deportation proceedings.

  • Belizean Men Urged to Take Action on Their Health

    Belizean Men Urged to Take Action on Their Health

    On June 26, 2026, more than 150 Belizean men gathered at the Belize Civic Center for the annual Men’s Health Forum, an event organized by the Belize Cancer Society and its partner organizations aimed at moving beyond general health awareness and encouraging tangible, life-saving action around preventive care. For decades, public health data across Belize has shown that men in the country consistently delay routine health screenings and avoid seeking medical care until conditions reach advanced, hard-to-treat stages – a trend that has driven higher mortality rates for preventable conditions like prostate cancer, the most common cancer among Belizean men over 40. The forum was designed to confront the cultural and psychological barriers that fuel this trend head-on.

    Opening the day’s discussions, Dr. Irvin Gabourel, a leading local health professional, addressed one of the most common reasons men avoid prostate cancer screenings: widespread anxiety about the traditional digital rectal exam. He walked attendees through newer, far less intimidating alternative screening options, easing concerns and opening a raw, honest conversation about screening accessibility for men across age groups. Current medical guidelines recommend that all men over 40 complete an annual prostate cancer screening, but public health workers say the biggest hurdle is not the exam itself – it’s convincing men to walk through the doors of a medical clinic in the first place.

    Dr. Claudina Cayetano, a mental health advisor with the Pan American Health Organization, unpacked the deep-rooted cultural stigma that keeps men from seeking care. She explained that harmful gender norms have long taught Belizean men to frame emotional and physical vulnerability as weakness, expecting men to act as constant protectors who never need support. This social conditioning leads many men to view routine checkups or seeking early care as a failure of masculinity, a mindset that ultimately leaves them far more vulnerable to advanced, untreatable disease. “What we want them to know is that seeking help is what a strong man does,” Cayetano emphasized. “A strong man wants to be healthy, and being healthy means that it’s okay to ask for help to take care of themselves.”

    The event centered personal testimonies from survivors to drive this message home, including that of Earl Jones, a former chief executive of the Kolbe Foundation and Secretary General of Belize’s Football Federation, who is now a cancer survivor after seeking early diagnosis. Jones told attendees that early testing and proactive lifestyle changes were the key to his survival, crediting his faith with helping him maintain mental resilience through his treatment journey. “Early testing is very important. A change of lifestyle is also very important, But most importantly is to put your trust in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Jones said, adding that his faith helped him manage stress and anxiety throughout his treatment. When asked how his faith supported his recovery, Jones noted, “My faith helped me to remain sane. I trusted in the Lord, I placed my burdens at His feet, and I worried less. That helped me through tremendously.”
    Jones also issued a stark warning to men who have put off preventive care: “This is the time to start thinking about taking care of yourself if you have not been doing so before because cancer is nothing – nothing nice. It takes away your finances and after it’s done it kills you.”

    Dr. Hugh Sanchez, a longtime pathologist and member of the Belize Cancer Society, said he hopes survivor stories like Jones’ will cut through cultural silence and encourage more men to schedule routine screenings. He noted that even men who feel perfectly healthy can develop asymptomatic, early-stage cancers that only screening can detect, making annual checkups non-negotiable for long-term health. “From the testimony by Mr. Jones in regards to his journey, I would hope that that was enough to sensitize us to be mindful that even though you may appear to be well, you still need to do your yearly checks and do your screening for those diseases or cancers that are prevalent among men,” Sanchez said. “And the Society is always there and the Men’s Forum panelists is always at the Society, and we are there to advise, encourage and to be a part of the journey with you.”

    Beyond prostate cancer screening, the full-day forum included interactive discussions on a range of men’s health topics, from primary care access and nutritional health to mental wellness and men as family caregivers. Across every session, the core message remained consistent: preventive care is not a sign of weakness – it’s an act of responsibility that saves lives. Organizers plan to expand the forum’s outreach in coming years, targeting rural communities where access to screening and health education is even more limited, to reduce Belize’s rate of preventable cancer deaths among men.

  • Are Belize’s Roads Keeping Up? Rising Traffic, Rising Risks

    Are Belize’s Roads Keeping Up? Rising Traffic, Rising Risks

    As vehicle ownership and traffic volumes climb steadily across Belize, a troubling upward trend in deadly head-on collisions has put intense public focus on whether the nation’s aging road infrastructure can keep pace with growing demand. The crisis has reignited calls for a transformative shift to modern, four-lane divided highways with physical medians that separate opposing traffic streams, a design widely proven to cut fatal crash rates. Right now, the Belizean government is funneling millions of dollars into rehabilitation work on the country’s two busiest corridors, the George Price Highway and Phillip Goldson Highway, leading safety advocates to question why full safety upgrades are not on the immediate agenda.

    On Belize’s current two-lane highways, where one narrow lane serves traffic in each direction, even a small driver error or misjudgment during risky overtaking maneuvers can end in tragedy. Close calls and near-misses are now a daily occurrence for regular commuters, prompting road safety advocates to push for sweeping infrastructure changes. They argue that installing four-lane highways with median dividers would eliminate the risk of head-on collisions by keeping opposing traffic fully separated, directly saving dozens of lives each year.

    But government officials say full conversion to four-lane highways is not a simple matter of political will, balancing competing demands of public demand, infrastructure costs and current traffic volumes. Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development, explained that international financial and technical bodies require rigorous traffic analysis to justify large-scale infrastructure investments. “When a highway is designed, you can’t just automatically decide you want a six-lane highway,” Espat noted. “Financial experts and technical experts assess whether current traffic flow, based on the country’s population and usage, justifies a project of that magnitude.”

    Espat pointed out that Belize’s relatively small population makes the massive cost of a full four-lane conversion difficult to justify economically. “If we are already complaining that current highway costs are too high — and we have every right to question costs — imagine how tremendous the cost would be for four full lanes across the network,” he said.

    Instead of full four-lane expansion, the government is rolling out a targeted, lower-cost alternative: adding dedicated passing lanes in high-traffic or high-risk stretches along the two major highways. “On certain sections of the George Price Highway, you will see dual lanes on one side for passing, and on other stretches you will see passing lanes on the opposite side,” Espat explained of the incremental approach. He framed infrastructure improvement as a long-term, generational process: “It’s a gradual process. When our term ends, we hope to have achieved a solid baseline of improvements, and the next administration — whether from the same party or another — can build on that work to improve infrastructure further over time.”

    Newly released 2025 traffic data underscores the urgency of the road safety debate. Officials recorded more than 3,000 traffic accidents across the country last year, 94 of which were fatal. For many ordinary road users, these grim statistics make the case for immediate safety upgrades: they argue that divided lanes would directly prevent most head-on fatal crashes along the busy George Price and Phillip Goldson corridors.

    For the current administration, near-term policy priorities remain focused on expanding connectivity rather than full conversion to four-lane highways, particularly opening new routes to improve access for rural communities and agricultural producers that drive Belize’s economy. But as traffic volumes continue to climb and fatalities hold steady, the core question looms large: as Belize’s population and economy grow, can its road network keep up not just with demand for greater connectivity, but with the growing need for life-saving road safety? This report was prepared by Paul Lopez for News Five.

  • Brazilians charged with trespassing on Lethem aerodrome

    Brazilians charged with trespassing on Lethem aerodrome

    In a recent court proceeding held in southwestern Guyana, three Brazilian men have admitted to illegally entering a restricted local airfield and received financial penalties for their offense. Local law enforcement confirmed the outcomes of the case on Friday, June 26, 2026.

    The three defendants, all citizens of Brazil, hold different professional backgrounds: 28-year-old Jose Carlos Casto Bibeiro, a mechanic hailing from Terezina; 37-year-old Clebson Raoni, a carpenter based in São Paulo; and 35-year-old Lucis Silva Marth, an operator from Boa Vista. The trio was charged with trespassing on the Lethem aerodrome, located in Central Rupununi, on June 24, two days prior to their court appearance.

    On the date of the hearing, the defendants appeared before Magistrate Omadatt Chandan at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court. A court-certified translator was present to interpret the charge and all court proceedings for the Brazilian nationals, who do not speak the local working language. After the charge was formally presented, all three men entered guilty pleas to the offense.

    Following their guilty pleas, the magistrate handed down a uniform penalty: each man was ordered to pay a fine of 150,000 Guyanese dollars. Combined, the total penalties imposed in the case amount to 450,000 Guyanese dollars.

    Trespassing on critical aviation infrastructure such as aerodromes carries strict penalties in Guyana, as unauthorized entry poses significant safety and security risks to commercial and general aviation operations in the region. Lethem, a border town near the Brazil-Guyana boundary, sees regular cross-border movement, making airfield security a key priority for local law enforcement and aviation regulators.

  • Climate Change Act Drives Belize’s Sustainable Development Vision

    Climate Change Act Drives Belize’s Sustainable Development Vision

    Against a backdrop of growing global climate vulnerability, small Central American nation Belize has taken a historic step to embed climate action into its national legal framework, advancing its long-term vision for equitable, low-carbon sustainable development.

    On June 18, 2026, Governor-General Dame Froyla Tzalam signed the Climate Change and Carbon Market Initiatives Act 2026 – the country’s first ever comprehensive piece of climate legislation – with the law officially gazetted two days later, bringing it into formal effect. This landmark legislation establishes a clear, structured governance system for Belize’s national climate policy and its participation in the fast-growing global carbon market.

    Key provisions of the new law include bolstering the institutional capacity of Belize’s Climate Change Department, strengthening national inter-agency coordination on climate initiatives, and mandating standardized, transparent climate impact reporting. Critically, the act also sets out unambiguous regulatory guidelines for carbon offset projects, including strict protocols for benefit sharing, progress tracking, and accountability to ensure local communities see tangible gains from carbon market activity.

    Speaking on the new legislation, Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet emphasized that the framework equips Belize to take full ownership of its domestic climate agenda, rather than relying on external direction. It paves the way for the country to pursue intentional low-emission economic growth across all sectors, from tourism to agriculture, while guaranteeing that revenue and opportunities generated through carbon market participation directly benefit Belizean citizens.

    With the core legal structure now in place, the government’s focus has shifted to implementation. In the coming months, officials will develop supporting secondary regulations, build out digital monitoring and reporting systems, and foster collaborative partnerships with local communities, the private sector, civil society organizations, and international development stakeholders to roll out the law’s provisions across the country.

  • More Farmers to Benefit as Agriculture Grant Program Expands

    More Farmers to Benefit as Agriculture Grant Program Expands

    Scheduled for official expansion in 2026, Belize’s Sustainable and Inclusive Belize (SAIB) Project, a grant initiative backed by the Inter-American Development Bank, is set to extend critical financial support to hundreds of additional small-scale farmers across the Central American nation after delivering promising early results from its first round of funding.

    When the program launched its initial application round, project organizers carried out nationwide outreach to connect with eligible growers, offering multiple accessible pathways to apply: a dedicated online application portal and a telephone help line for farmers requiring assistance with the submission process. A specialized evaluation committee then reviewed all submissions to select candidates that met the program’s strict eligibility criteria, after which selected recipients completed mandatory training before receiving funding.

    In its first cohort, the initiative successfully disbursed small grants to 666 individual small-scale farmers across Belize. Each participating grower can receive up to $4,000 USD, allocated to investments that boost agricultural output, strengthen climate resilience, and build long-term sustainable livelihoods. To date, participating farmers have directed their grant funding toward high-impact climate-smart upgrades, including new irrigation infrastructure, solar-powered water pumps, rainwater catchment systems, and climate-resistant hybrid seed varieties that can withstand shifting weather patterns linked to global climate change.

    Following the successful rollout of the first round of individual farmer grants, the SAIB Project will now open a new application round that expands eligibility beyond independent small-scale growers. Agricultural micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and organized farmer associations will also be able to apply for funding to scale up their own sustainable production initiatives.

    In addition to its agricultural support programming, the SAIB Project, which is fully financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, also allocates grant funding to small and medium-sized tourism-related businesses across Belize to support inclusive economic growth across multiple key sectors of the nation’s economy. The program’s expansion comes as small-scale producers across Central America face growing pressure from climate change, making targeted financial support for climate-smart agriculture a critical policy priority for long-term food security and rural economic stability.

  • Belize Swears In 100 New Citizens from 22 Countries

    Belize Swears In 100 New Citizens from 22 Countries

    On June 26, 2026, Belize hosted a landmark citizenship swearing-in ceremony that cemented the nation’s long-standing identity as a welcoming destination for global migrants. One hundred and eleven men and women hailing from 22 countries spanning Central America, Africa, and Asia took their formal oath of allegiance, officially joining the Belizean community surrounded by loved ones and fellow citizens. The historic event was far more than a routine administrative formality: it served as a public celebration of the cultural diversity that has shaped Belize from its founding, and a tangible investment in the country’s long-term social and economic growth.

  • Launch of the Rickey Singh Initiative for Journalistic Excellence in the Americas

    Launch of the Rickey Singh Initiative for Journalistic Excellence in the Americas

    Against a backdrop of growing pressures on press freedom across the Western Hemisphere, the Special Rapporteurship on Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) under the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has unveiled a new regional initiative this week designed to uplift journalistic standards, safeguard independence, and anchor the role of a free press in democratic governance.

    Named the Rickey Singh Initiative for Excellence in Journalism in the Americas, the project honors the decades-long legacy of celebrated Caribbean journalist Rickey Singh, who passed away in 2025 at the age of 88. Over a career spanning more than half a century, Singh built his reputation as a staunch advocate for independent reporting, inclusive public discourse, and greater representation of Caribbean perspectives in regional conversations about democracy and human rights—values that now form the core of the new initiative’s mission.

    The official launch took place in Panama City, held on the sidelines of the 56th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) during a high-level gathering that drew journalists, media leaders, and civil society representatives from every subregion of the Americas. The opening program featured opening remarks from SRFOE Special Rapporteur Pedro Vaca, followed by addresses from Izabela Matusz, European Union Ambassador to Panama, and Pontus Rosenberg, Swedish Ambassador to Panama. Former IACHR President and Commissioner Roberta Clarke led a reflective session on Singh’s life and enduring impact on regional journalism, before a roundtable discussion that brought together nearly 30 participants from 13 countries across the Americas, including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

    During the day’s discussions, stakeholders centered their talks on the most pressing threats facing modern journalism across the region. Participants addressed interconnected challenges ranging from the disruptive impacts of digital transformation and the growing crisis of media economic sustainability to rising political polarization, plummeting public trust in news, and pervasive violence and harassment targeting reporters. The gathering also created space to deliberate on core professional values: upholding rigorous editorial standards, expanding diverse representation in newsrooms, protecting editorial independence, strengthening public accountability, and building effective self-regulatory frameworks that align with fundamental freedom of expression principles.

    A key concern framed the creation of the new initiative: the SRFOE has repeatedly noted that growing public debates over journalistic quality across the region have led to proposed regulatory measures that could erode press freedom rather than strengthen it. In place of top-down restrictive rules, the Rickey Singh Initiative advances a profession-led alternative model, centered on collaborative industry reflection, editorial transparency, widespread adoption of best practices, shared accountability, and cross-sector dialogue between journalists, media outlets, academic institutions, civil society, and human rights advocates.
    The launch of the initiative was made possible through support from Particip and its EU-funded project *Support for Independent Journalism and the Fight Against Disinformation*, for which the SRFOE extended formal recognition and thanks.

    In its official statement following the launch, the SRFOE reaffirmed a core principle: quality, independent journalism is an irreplaceable pillar of democratic societies. It enables informed public debate, holds power-holders to account, amplifies underrepresented voices, and empowers communities to make informed choices on issues of public interest. Against this, the body emphasized that contemporary challenges facing the news industry cannot be resolved through state overreach or restrictive regulatory frameworks. Instead, meaningful progress requires profession-led processes rooted in the founding values of editorial independence, media pluralism, transparency, and social responsibility.

    The Rickey Singh Initiative forms part of a broader ongoing portfolio of work by the SRFOE focused on advancing equality and combating discrimination in journalistic and media ecosystems across the Americas. It builds on cross-regional exchanges first launched in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala in May 2024 centered on preventing discriminatory discourse in media coverage.

    Looking ahead, the initiative will expand on these foundational efforts through sustained ongoing dialogues, the development of a regional cross-border exchange network for participating stakeholders, and the formalization of a set of voluntary guiding principles that can serve as a shared reference for journalists, media outlets, and related organizations across the hemisphere.

    To close, the SRFOE reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to fostering a free, pluralistic, safe, and enabling environment for journalism practice across the Americas. It remains dedicated to strengthening professional standards that build public trust, deepen democratic deliberation, and advance the protection and enforcement of human rights for all people in the region.

    Established by the IACHR, the Special Rapporteurship on Freedom of Expression is a specialized body mandated to advance the defense of freedom of thought and expression across the Western Hemisphere, recognizing the right’s foundational role in building and sustaining healthy democratic systems.

  • Belize Stands with Americas on Democracy and Stability

    Belize Stands with Americas on Democracy and Stability

    As the Organization of American States (OAS) gathers for its 2026 General Assembly in Panama City, the small Central American nation of Belize has stepped onto the regional stage to reinforce its commitment to shared democracy, collective security, and rules-based multilateral cooperation across the Americas. The summit, which brings together leaders from across the hemisphere, centers on coordinated action to address three of the region’s most pressing challenges: combating transnational organized crime, safeguarding democratic institutions, and preserving political and economic stability. Representing Belize at the assembly is Oscar Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of the nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has laid out the country’s longstanding commitment to strong regional partnerships amid a growingly complex global and geopolitical landscape.

    In his address to the assembly, Arnold emphasized that for small sovereign states like Belize, a strong, transparent, and rules-bound multilateral system is not just a diplomatic priority—it is a foundational requirement for national security, stability, and even the long-term survival of smaller nations. In a global order defined by stark gaps in size, economic power, and geopolitical influence, multilateral bodies deliver an irreplaceable benefit to all states, particularly those with smaller populations and economies: they guarantee every nation a voice, a seat at decision-making tables, and a framework that governs international relations by shared agreed rules rather than the unchecked power of larger states.

    Arnold noted that these institutions uphold core principles of sovereignty, enable the peaceful settlement of disputes, and allow all nations—regardless of their scale—to advance their interests through collaborative cooperation rather than costly confrontation. For nearly 80 years, this critical regional role has been held by the OAS. While Arnold acknowledged that no multilateral institution is free from flaws, he stressed that the OAS has repeatedly proven its value when member states allow it to operate in line with its founding charter, official mandates, and shared hemispheric principles.

    Today, the OAS stands as a trusted platform for political dialogue, collective problem-solving, and peaceful dispute resolution, while also acting as the guardian of the shared norms that bind the nations of the Americas together. As the cornerstone of regional multilateralism, Arnold argued that the OAS must prioritize the needs of its member states, rooted in its charter and international law, even as global ideological tides shift. Current geopolitical divisions across the hemisphere demand steady, principled navigation from the organization to serve all its members effectively. Beyond policy debates, the 2026 General Assembly also moved to adopt new security-focused resolutions and hold elections for open positions on key OAS bodies, including the Inter-American Juridical Committee and the Administrative Tribunal.

    A top priority for Belize’s delegation at this year’s assembly is the long-running territorial dispute with neighboring Guatemala, which is approaching a final ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) expected in 2027. Arnold highlighted that the OAS has been a critical, trusted partner in guiding both nations toward a peaceful, binding resolution through the ICJ process. Beyond diplomatic backing, the organization maintains a tangible on-the-ground presence in the border adjacency zone, and provides ongoing support to strengthen security along the shared border.

    Arnold expressed Belize’s gratitude for the OAS’s sustained role in the dispute resolution process, noting that the ICJ-mediated process itself stands as a defining example of rules-based multilateralism in action. The OAS also operates a permanent observer mission in the adjacency zone, providing institutional support and critical resources to facilitate dialogue and stability between the two nations.

    Beyond the territorial dispute, Arnold outlined that Belize faces growing threats from transnational criminal organizations, including drug cartels operating along its border regions. To address these challenges, Belize has turned to the OAS for specialized capacity-building support, with the organization delivering targeted training to Belizean law enforcement in key areas including anti-money laundering efforts and the tracking and marking of small arms and munitions.

    While the value of strong multilateralism is widely recognized, Arnold argued that acknowledgement alone is no longer enough to meet current regional challenges. To build more effective multilateral institutions for the future, he called for a renewed focus on three core priorities: prevention of conflict, increased regional resilience, and expanded economic opportunity for all citizens across the hemisphere. This requires a renewed focus on the OAS’s development pillar, one that is often overlooked relative to security and democracy work. Arnold stressed that long-term democracy, security, and stability cannot survive without inclusive economic opportunity and sustainable growth. For democratic institutions to retain public trust and legitimacy, ordinary citizens must see tangible improvements in their daily quality of life.

    To deliver these improvements, Arnold called for a refreshed OAS development agenda that prioritizes initiatives to create supportive regulatory environments for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). These businesses, he noted, are the primary generators of dignified, formal employment across the region. The agenda should also prioritize fostering innovation, addressing the growing harmful impacts of climate change, encouraging fair market competition, and expanding inclusive hemispheric trade. Critically, Arnold emphasized that these efforts must move beyond abstract policy commitments to deliver practical, measurable interventions that generate concrete benefits for ordinary people across the Americas. Closing his address, Arnold also highlighted the need for coordinated multilateral action to integrate advanced digital technologies across regional economies, noting that modern economic growth is increasingly dependent on widespread access to and adoption of new technological tools.