Belize; World Bank Approves New Strategy for Belize; Belize Targets Stronger Economic Growth; Belize Tackles Energy and Workforce Challenges.

Friday, August 28, 2026. Belize Belize is one of those countries that is difficult to fully appreciate until you have spent some time there. I’ve had the opportunity to travel there many times over the years, both professionally and personally, and my work has taken me into just about every corner of the country. I’ve provided security services for Eddie Bauer there on several occasions, conducted investigations throughout the country, from the Cayo area to Placencia and north toward Corozal, and our company has also conducted polygraph examinations in Belize for American Airlines. As a result, Belize is a place I’ve come to know quite well. What has always struck me about Belize is just how different it feels from the rest of Central America. English is the official language, a legacy of its history as British Honduras, and British influence remains visible in its institutions, legal traditions, and culture. At the same time, Belize is unmistakably Caribbean and Central American, with a remarkable mixture of Creole, Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna and other cultures that gives such a small country an unusually rich identity. Geography has also shaped Belize in profound ways. Much of the country is extremely low-lying, particularly along the Caribbean coast, making communities especially vulnerable to hurricanes, storm surge and flooding. Anyone who has spent time there understands just how devastating a major storm can be. Yet Belize has repeatedly rebuilt and carried on, and that resilience says a great deal about the people who live there. And the people are perhaps what I remember most. In my experience, Belizeans are genuinely friendly, welcoming and remarkably easy to talk to. There is a relaxed quality to the country that can sometimes disguise the fact that Belize has a fascinating political and historical story of its own, from its British colonial past and independence in 1981 to the longstanding territorial dispute with neighboring Guatemala. Its politics and history often receive far less international attention than those of the larger countries around it. Belize may be small, but it should not be overlooked. It is a beautiful, unusual and historically fascinating country that has managed to retain a character entirely its own. Having worked from one end of Belize to the other, it remains one of those places that I always enjoy returning to, and a country whose history, people and unique place in our region are well worth exploring in this week’s newsletter. Brett Mikkelson Founder, B.M. Investigations, Inc. – Private Investigations in Panama TOP NEWS and TIDBITS: Taiwan Expands Its Cooperation with Belize Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (right) exchanges gifts with Henry Usher, Belize’s Minister of the Public Service and Disaster Risk Management, on August 21 in Taipei. (MOFA) The visit, from August 19 to 23, by a delegation led by Henry Usher, Belize’s Minister of the Public Service and Disaster Risk Management, was warmly welcomed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the Ministry, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung met with the delegation on August 21 in Taipei. In his remarks, Lin highlighted that since Taiwan and Belize established diplomatic relations 37 years ago, the two sides have collaborated on numerous projects. He added that the government has partnered with the University of Belize to launch the Taiwan Caribbean Academy, aimed at developing talent in the allied nation’s hospitality, healthcare, nutrition, smart agriculture, fisheries, and tourism sectors. The Foreign Minister stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encourages domestic companies to invest in and purchase products from the Central American ally in order to strengthen bilateral cooperation. In response, Usher expressed his gratitude for Taiwan’s long-term assistance in the development of agriculture, education, and infrastructure, as well as in improving the quality of life in Belize. During a meeting with the delegation that same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi stated that the two countries have made significant progress in personnel training, public health, and women’s empowerment over the past three decades, while Usher expressed his hope of further deepening exchanges with Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added. During their stay, the delegates also visited the Executive Yuan’s Civil Service Development Institute, the National Academy of Civil Service, and the Ministry of Education in Taipei; the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction in New Taipei City; and the National Fire Agency’s Training Center in Nantou County, as well as Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robotics Show 2026, held from August 19 to 22 in the capital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. As part of its integrated diplomacy policy, Taiwan is committed to promoting the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project to benefit the people of both sides, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded. READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE Joint Statement by the Government of Belize and the Government of the Republic of Guatemala We, the Governments of Belize and the Republic of Guatemala, represented by the Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture, Science and Technology and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, hereinafter referred to as “the Parties,” meeting on June 24, 2026, in Panama City, on the occasion of the Fifty-Sixth Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), Have agreed to issue the following Joint Statement: Reaffirming our full respect for the purposes and principles of the Charters of the United Nations and the Organization of American States, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other States; the prohibition of the threat or use of force; and the peaceful settlement of disputes; Recalling the set of agreements signed between the Parties within the framework of the process, including the 2003 Agreement to Establish a Transition Process and Confidence-Building Measures; the 2005 Agreement on a Framework for Negotiations and Confidence-Building Measures; and the 2008 Special Agreement to submit Guatemala’s territorial, insular, and maritime claim to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final adjudication, as well as its 2015 Protocol; Reiterating our full respect for