Belize City Mayor to Attend Global Gateway Forum in Brussels

Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner will travel to Brussels, Belgium, next week to represent Belize at the Forum of Cities and Regions for International Partnerships, being held under the theme “Localising the Global Gateway.”  The high-level forum brings together mayors, regional leaders, development partners, and international institutions from around the world to discuss how cities and local governments can play a direct role in advancing sustainable development, infrastructure investments, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth at the community level.  Mayor Wagner said his participation is an important opportunity to showcase Belize City’s development priorities while building strategic partnerships that can help attract technical support and funding for local projects. 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “And we’ll explore how cities and regions can drive the EU’s global gateway strategy, which really focuses on building sustainable, inclusive partnerships and infrastructure worldwide. So that forum will focus on how we continue to pursue some of the strategy of the EU and you know that the EU was the entity and partner that funded our e-mobility, the five buses, the two in Belize City and the three that you see on the road, those are grant funded by the EU and so I feel certainly privileged to be able to attend this forum and meet with other stakeholders and see how we can even further advance greater opportunity for Belize City through the lens of the EU.”

Discussions at the forum will focus on strengthening cooperation between the European Union and local governments in priority sectors such as urban development, climate adaptation, renewable energy, disaster risk management, and social inclusion.  During his visit to Brussels, Mayor Wagner is also expected to engage in networking sessions with municipal leaders and international agencies to explore avenues of cooperation that align with Belize City’s goals for infrastructure upgrades, environmental sustainability, and youth and community development.