Belize Advocates for Small Island Nations at Global Environment Summit

Belize is currently represented at the 8th Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from May 30 to June 6, 2026. Leading the delegation are Mrs. Judene Tingling-Linares, GEF Operational Focal Point in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, and Mr. Leroy Martinez, GEF Political Focal Point and Director of the Climate Finance Unit in the Ministry of Economic Transformation. The high-level event, which convenes every four years, brings together ministers, government officials, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and environmental experts to shape global environmental policy and guide future investments.

Belize’s participation centers on advancing national priorities outlined in Plan Belize 2.0 and the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0, while also advocating within the Small 

Island Developing States Constituency for the unique needs of coastal and island nations in the upcoming GEF-9 replenishment discussions. Notably, Mr. Jaren Serano, a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida and the first Belizean recipient of the Gustavo Fonseca