National Summit Focuses on Climate-Resilient Urban Development in Belize

Stakeholders from across Belize gathered today at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel for a national summit under the project “Resilient Infrastructure and Sustainable Urban Land Management.” The event brought together representatives from government agencies, municipalities, village councils, and private sector organizations to participate in presentations and panel discussions focused on strengthening local governance in urban and coastal development.  The summit is aimed at building the capacity of municipalities and village authorities to better manage urban growth while ensuring development remains sustainable and climate-resilient. As part of the initiative, a series of manuals and training tools have been developed in areas such as urban planning, municipal finance, communications for urban development, and inclusive urban management.  Speaking with Love News, Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, President of the Belize Association of Professional Planners, explained that the project is funded through the Green Climate Fund and implemented through the Protected Areas Conservation Trust in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Transformation and the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing. She noted that her organization has been involved since the early stages of the project, demonstrating how proper planning frameworks can help address many of the urban development challenges faced by Belizean communities.

While the programme was initially designed to run for twenty-four months, it was extended to thirty-seven months to accommodate the complexity of implementation and ensure that all deliverables are fully realized.  He added that as an accredited entity to several international climate financing mechanisms, PACT’s role is to mobilize financial resources while partnering with executing entities such as the Belize Association of Professional Planners and the Ministry of Economic Transformation, which serves as Belize’s National Designated Authority responsible for identifying priority projects.  Also speaking at the summit was Eli Romero, Climate Finance Manager at PACT, who outlined the background of the programme under the Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme. Romero explained that development of the initiative began in 2022 and secured approval in early 2023. 

The programme, scheduled to conclude at the end of March, focuses on creating the enabling environment necessary to prepare Belize’s most vulnerable sectors and communities for the impacts of climate change, particularly in the areas of housing, infrastructure, and urban land management.