NEW CENTRAL AMERICAN HIGHWAY SYSTEM PROPOSED!
The SEVEN COUNTRIES of Central America are using public think tank contributions, to develop the seven countries economically.
Among those suggestions are a TOLL highway of 4 lanes, two in each direction. A six lane highway interconnecting the seven countries, on the style of the USA FREEWAY system and that of Canada. With three lanes in each direction and rest stops.
Among the advantages are commerce and intransit in-bond goods from one country, or any country in the region, in sealed bonded 18 wheeler tractor trailers.
One of the by-products is the intended decriminalization of drugs. Particularly marijuana. At any rate, the idea put forward by both the President of Mexico and Guatemala is to allow sealed intransit in-bond freight to pass through Central America, with no questions asked, about the contents. Airports can also be intransit with in-bond warehouses controlled by CUSTOMS. One of the spinoffs, is expected to be a reduction in crime created by drug violence. Let the USA fund and fight it´s own consumer war is the HOPE. The small Central American countries can no longer afford to fight this USA war, created by the USA criminal apparatus and drug habits.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
BELIZE - TOP RIVER RACE IN THE WORLD STARTS IN 3.5 WEEKS. THE RUTA MAYA, 200 MILES OF GRUELING ENDURANCE.
WORLD FAMOUS RUTA MAYA CANOE RACE. 200 MILES OF STIFF ENDURANCE AT 14 MPH PLUS, OVER THREE DAYS OF LEGS.ENDURANCE CANOE PADDLERS GETTING READY FOR FAMOUS WORLD CROSS COUNTRY RIVER PADDLING RACE. BELIZEAN TEAMS HAVE WHOPPED THEM FROM THE USA IN THE BIG TEXAS RIVER RACE. THE RUTA MAYA, IS THE BIG TIME, WORLDLY SPEAKING, FOR LONG DISTANCE CANOE RACING. IT INCLUDES THREE STAGES OVER THREE DAYS AND WINNERS MUST AVERAGE OVER 14 MPH ALL THE TIME TO GET IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE.
Friday, February 17, 2012
WORKING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BELIZE AND INDIAN EXPERTS IN DOMAIN REGISTRY PERFORMANCE AND SALES
WORKING PARTNERSHIP FORMED BETWEEN INDIA EXPERTS AND BELIZE DOMAIN REGISTRY BUSINESS OPERATIONS.
Mumbai, India, February 17, 2012 --(PR.com (http://www.pr.com/))-- LogicBoxes, a Registrar software and consulting company, today announced that it has partnered with the .BZ Registry, University Management Ltd. to provide business automation solutions to its in-house Registrar arm, BelizeNic.
.BZ is the country code top-level domain for Belize. Prior to partnering with LogicBoxes, BelizeNic was using a legacy system to sell .BZ domains. The Registry was looking to migrate to a stable and flexible platform that would allow it to expand its product suite and deliver better customer experience.
LogicBoxes setup BelizeNic on its proprietary Registrar platform - OrderBox. Additionally, the migration and transition was completed by the LogicBoxes team without affecting existing customers.
Post migration, BelizeNic has inherited the ability to manage its customers and provide them with a more inclusive set of web services like Web & Email Hosting, Website Builders and Digital Certificates.
BelizeNic also has plans to target nearby territories in the coming months. To facilitate these future plans, they will be realizing localized sites, complete with country-specific currency and multi-lingual options with the OrderBox infrastructure.
As a growing trend, many Registries are establishing their own Registrar entity to tap into local markets. Often the first stop for customers looking to purchase domains in smaller ccTLD spaces, this model successfully serves the customer's best interest. It also gives the Registry greater control over marketing activities and complements the work done by foreign Registrars in creating awareness and increasing purchase channels.
"Initially we did have concerns about the transition but the LogicBoxes team quickly allayed them when they swung into action," says Juan Carlos Namis, General Manager, BelizeNic. "Thanks to this partnership, we now focus on more important business activities and leave the day-to-day tasks to be handled by the LogicBoxes platform automation."
"We're excited to be partnering with BelizeNic. We've spent a lot of development time creating a local' solution for Registries who want to take control of direct sales to customers. This has allowed us to partner with multiple ccTLDs across the world and we look forward to helping BelizeNic better serve their customers," said Sandeep Ramchandani, Director, LogicBoxes.
About University Management LTD:
University Management LTD (UMLTD) was founded on October 2000 in order to manage, market and promote the ".BZ" top-level domain name and Internet related services such as web hosting and specialized IT training. In collaboration with strategic partners, the company plans to offer internet solutions including domain name registration, web hosting, co-location servers, DNS services, POP/web-based e-mail and .BZ directory services to its customers. For more information, please visit: http://nic.bz.
About LogicBoxes:
LogicBoxes is a Web Products and Consulting Company that specializes in providing private labeled, web presence and communication applications to ICANN Registrars, Large Web Hosts, Domain Resellers, ISPs and Telcos. In addition, it also offers ICANN consulting and a turnkey SaaS platform which provides end-to-end business automation to clients. LogicBoxes currently powers over 6.5 Million domains through 90+ ICANN Accredited Registrars in 35+ countries. For additional information, please visit http://www.LogicBoxes.com.
Mumbai, India, February 17, 2012 --(PR.com (http://www.pr.com/))-- LogicBoxes, a Registrar software and consulting company, today announced that it has partnered with the .BZ Registry, University Management Ltd. to provide business automation solutions to its in-house Registrar arm, BelizeNic.
.BZ is the country code top-level domain for Belize. Prior to partnering with LogicBoxes, BelizeNic was using a legacy system to sell .BZ domains. The Registry was looking to migrate to a stable and flexible platform that would allow it to expand its product suite and deliver better customer experience.
LogicBoxes setup BelizeNic on its proprietary Registrar platform - OrderBox. Additionally, the migration and transition was completed by the LogicBoxes team without affecting existing customers.
Post migration, BelizeNic has inherited the ability to manage its customers and provide them with a more inclusive set of web services like Web & Email Hosting, Website Builders and Digital Certificates.
BelizeNic also has plans to target nearby territories in the coming months. To facilitate these future plans, they will be realizing localized sites, complete with country-specific currency and multi-lingual options with the OrderBox infrastructure.
As a growing trend, many Registries are establishing their own Registrar entity to tap into local markets. Often the first stop for customers looking to purchase domains in smaller ccTLD spaces, this model successfully serves the customer's best interest. It also gives the Registry greater control over marketing activities and complements the work done by foreign Registrars in creating awareness and increasing purchase channels.
"Initially we did have concerns about the transition but the LogicBoxes team quickly allayed them when they swung into action," says Juan Carlos Namis, General Manager, BelizeNic. "Thanks to this partnership, we now focus on more important business activities and leave the day-to-day tasks to be handled by the LogicBoxes platform automation."
"We're excited to be partnering with BelizeNic. We've spent a lot of development time creating a local' solution for Registries who want to take control of direct sales to customers. This has allowed us to partner with multiple ccTLDs across the world and we look forward to helping BelizeNic better serve their customers," said Sandeep Ramchandani, Director, LogicBoxes.
About University Management LTD:
University Management LTD (UMLTD) was founded on October 2000 in order to manage, market and promote the ".BZ" top-level domain name and Internet related services such as web hosting and specialized IT training. In collaboration with strategic partners, the company plans to offer internet solutions including domain name registration, web hosting, co-location servers, DNS services, POP/web-based e-mail and .BZ directory services to its customers. For more information, please visit: http://nic.bz.
About LogicBoxes:
LogicBoxes is a Web Products and Consulting Company that specializes in providing private labeled, web presence and communication applications to ICANN Registrars, Large Web Hosts, Domain Resellers, ISPs and Telcos. In addition, it also offers ICANN consulting and a turnkey SaaS platform which provides end-to-end business automation to clients. LogicBoxes currently powers over 6.5 Million domains through 90+ ICANN Accredited Registrars in 35+ countries. For additional information, please visit http://www.LogicBoxes.com.
CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES GET OFFER TO FINANCE PILOT PROJECTS IN EXPERIMENTAL RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS
CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES GET OFFER OF GRANTS TO CREATE PILOT PROJECTS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY EXPERIMENTS.
Awards of up to US$ 200,000 are offered for projects and enterprises which promote energy efficiency and access to renewable energy in the Caribbean region.
Applications from Antigua and Barbada, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are invited.
UKAid from the Department of International Development (DFID), GVEP International, South Korea and the Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB) have launched a contest to develop innovative ideas to improve energy efficiency and expand access to renewable energy in the Caribbean.
The contest, launched today with a regional marketing campaign What's your bright IDEA?, is intended to promote innovative solutions to energy problems that have local or regional benefits, provide jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners will receive up to US$ 200,000, as well as technical and business development support to implement or scale up their ideas.
Individuals, enterprises and organizations based in the Caribbean are invited to submit proposals focusing on adoption, innovation, assimilation, development and transfer of technologies in renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and fossil fuel substitution by April 30, 2012. Applications should be submitted electronically - details and guidance are available atwww.iadb.org/ideas. Grant winners will be announced July 15, 2012.
'The Caribbean has great potential for economically and environmentally sustainable enterprises in renewable energy and energy efficiency,' said Simone Banister, Climate Change Adviser at DFID Caribbean. 'Simple innovations could have a dramatic effect on energies supplies, prices and the way businesses and markets operate in the region.'
Energy in the Caribbean is currently produced almost exclusively from imported fossil fuels, Banister explained. 'As a result, consumers are paying high prices for electricity, transport fuels and other forms of energy. So far, the use of alternative sources of energy, particularly renewables, has been limited. We're hoping to help change that.'
'Local innovation and the adaptation of existing technologies to local circumstances are key to boosting the competitive supply of renewable energy services and tackling environmental concerns'said Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho, Lead Energy Specialist at the IDB.
What is IDEAS?
IDEAS is an Energy Innovation Contest to support the development of innovative projects promoting renewable energies, and improving energy efficiency. IDEAS was first launched in February 2009, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB), the Government of Korea, non-governmental organization GVEP International and the German Technical Cooperation for Development (GIZ), and funded by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the Netherlands Directorate-General of Development Cooperation (DGIS). It received over 1,000 applications from 28 Latin America and Caribbean countries. A total of 26 winners were selected in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, and Saint Lucia.
A second phase of IDEAS was launched on September 15, 2011, in cooperation with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy with the support of the Sustainable Energy Fund (FSE), the IDB and the South Korean Government to promote innovation in sustainable energy. More than 700 applications were received from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 15 winners were selected from Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico.
About the sponsors and implementing partners
The UK Department of International Development (DFID) will contribute GBP75m in UKaid to the Caribbean between 2011-15, supporting enterprise development, governance and security and action on climate change. DFID is providing a high proportion of the funding for this contest (equivalent to GBP GBP1.46 million).
The Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP International) is a UK-based NGO that works with local businesses in developing countries to increase access to modern energy and to improve the quality of lives for thousands of people. DFID has chosen GVEP International as its implementing partner for IDEAS.
The Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB) is the largest source of financing for development for Latin America and the Caribbean. Through its Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative (SECCI), the IDB supports renewable energy and energy efficiency, biofuel development, carbon finance, and adaptation to climate change.
The South Korean Government supports Latin America and the Caribbean's efforts towards improving energy access, efficiency, and producing renewable energy, including through the 'Knowledge Partnership Korea Fund for Technology and Innovation' (KPKF) at the IDB.
Awards of up to US$ 200,000 are offered for projects and enterprises which promote energy efficiency and access to renewable energy in the Caribbean region.
Applications from Antigua and Barbada, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are invited.
UKAid from the Department of International Development (DFID), GVEP International, South Korea and the Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB) have launched a contest to develop innovative ideas to improve energy efficiency and expand access to renewable energy in the Caribbean.
The contest, launched today with a regional marketing campaign What's your bright IDEA?, is intended to promote innovative solutions to energy problems that have local or regional benefits, provide jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Award winners will receive up to US$ 200,000, as well as technical and business development support to implement or scale up their ideas.
Individuals, enterprises and organizations based in the Caribbean are invited to submit proposals focusing on adoption, innovation, assimilation, development and transfer of technologies in renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and fossil fuel substitution by April 30, 2012. Applications should be submitted electronically - details and guidance are available atwww.iadb.org/ideas. Grant winners will be announced July 15, 2012.
'The Caribbean has great potential for economically and environmentally sustainable enterprises in renewable energy and energy efficiency,' said Simone Banister, Climate Change Adviser at DFID Caribbean. 'Simple innovations could have a dramatic effect on energies supplies, prices and the way businesses and markets operate in the region.'
Energy in the Caribbean is currently produced almost exclusively from imported fossil fuels, Banister explained. 'As a result, consumers are paying high prices for electricity, transport fuels and other forms of energy. So far, the use of alternative sources of energy, particularly renewables, has been limited. We're hoping to help change that.'
'Local innovation and the adaptation of existing technologies to local circumstances are key to boosting the competitive supply of renewable energy services and tackling environmental concerns'said Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho, Lead Energy Specialist at the IDB.
What is IDEAS?
IDEAS is an Energy Innovation Contest to support the development of innovative projects promoting renewable energies, and improving energy efficiency. IDEAS was first launched in February 2009, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB), the Government of Korea, non-governmental organization GVEP International and the German Technical Cooperation for Development (GIZ), and funded by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ) and the Netherlands Directorate-General of Development Cooperation (DGIS). It received over 1,000 applications from 28 Latin America and Caribbean countries. A total of 26 winners were selected in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, and Saint Lucia.
A second phase of IDEAS was launched on September 15, 2011, in cooperation with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy with the support of the Sustainable Energy Fund (FSE), the IDB and the South Korean Government to promote innovation in sustainable energy. More than 700 applications were received from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 15 winners were selected from Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico.
About the sponsors and implementing partners
The UK Department of International Development (DFID) will contribute GBP75m in UKaid to the Caribbean between 2011-15, supporting enterprise development, governance and security and action on climate change. DFID is providing a high proportion of the funding for this contest (equivalent to GBP GBP1.46 million).
The Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP International) is a UK-based NGO that works with local businesses in developing countries to increase access to modern energy and to improve the quality of lives for thousands of people. DFID has chosen GVEP International as its implementing partner for IDEAS.
The Inter-American Development Bank Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searches(IDB) is the largest source of financing for development for Latin America and the Caribbean. Through its Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative (SECCI), the IDB supports renewable energy and energy efficiency, biofuel development, carbon finance, and adaptation to climate change.
The South Korean Government supports Latin America and the Caribbean's efforts towards improving energy access, efficiency, and producing renewable energy, including through the 'Knowledge Partnership Korea Fund for Technology and Innovation' (KPKF) at the IDB.
RUMOR - UDP GOVERNMENT IS SUBVERTING SOCIAL SECURITY BOARD INDEPENDENCE, WITH APPLYING BOARD RULING FIRING OF CROOKS ON THE BOARD
UDP government, through Lois Young government rep on the Social Security Board has mounted a dirty campaign to block the Social Security Board from having it´s recommendations enforced.
hard hitting story comes from Love FM
UNION SAYS SOCIAL SECURITY WORKERS SHOULD NOT SIGN LETTER
February 16, 2012
Multiple sources have indicated that the Board of directors of the Belize Social Security Board has voted to terminate the services of Chief Executive Officer Merlene Bailey Martinez and internal Auditor Denise Mahler. The two senior executives of the SSB were place on suspension last month following allegations that they used privileged information to get staff to adjust their loans in order to take advantage of the government’s debt write off scheme for non-performing loans. An independent audit was carried out by the Panel Kerr Foster accounting firm, but the results of that audit have not been made public. Love News has been attempting to get information on the employment status of the suspended Martinez and Mahler; but we are told that the Chairman of SSB, attorney Lois Young is out of the country, and the acting CEO has been in meetings since yesterday. Multiple staff of Belize Social Security Board who contacted Love News indicates that a petition is being circulated for them to sign, claiming that they, the staff want the Board to reinstate Merlene Bailey Martinez and Denise Mahler. Today the Christian Workers Union which represents SSB workers issued a press release expressing dismay and dissatisfaction with the alleged move to reinstate the CEO and Internal Auditor. The CWU says it is categorically not in support of this effort and furthermore that it did not formulate and is not responsible for the circulation of any such letter. The CWU release also says that if the Board of Directors has decided to fire CEO Martinez and the internal auditor, then it should not interfere and just let it be. It ends by calling on all unionized SSB workers to refrain from signing any letter of petition calling for the reinstatement of Martinez and Mahler.
hard hitting story comes from Love FM
UNION SAYS SOCIAL SECURITY WORKERS SHOULD NOT SIGN LETTER
February 16, 2012
Multiple sources have indicated that the Board of directors of the Belize Social Security Board has voted to terminate the services of Chief Executive Officer Merlene Bailey Martinez and internal Auditor Denise Mahler. The two senior executives of the SSB were place on suspension last month following allegations that they used privileged information to get staff to adjust their loans in order to take advantage of the government’s debt write off scheme for non-performing loans. An independent audit was carried out by the Panel Kerr Foster accounting firm, but the results of that audit have not been made public. Love News has been attempting to get information on the employment status of the suspended Martinez and Mahler; but we are told that the Chairman of SSB, attorney Lois Young is out of the country, and the acting CEO has been in meetings since yesterday. Multiple staff of Belize Social Security Board who contacted Love News indicates that a petition is being circulated for them to sign, claiming that they, the staff want the Board to reinstate Merlene Bailey Martinez and Denise Mahler. Today the Christian Workers Union which represents SSB workers issued a press release expressing dismay and dissatisfaction with the alleged move to reinstate the CEO and Internal Auditor. The CWU says it is categorically not in support of this effort and furthermore that it did not formulate and is not responsible for the circulation of any such letter. The CWU release also says that if the Board of Directors has decided to fire CEO Martinez and the internal auditor, then it should not interfere and just let it be. It ends by calling on all unionized SSB workers to refrain from signing any letter of petition calling for the reinstatement of Martinez and Mahler.
ALTUN HA MAYAN RUIN FESTIVAL IN BELIZE
Altun Ha Mayan ruins in BelizeFeb 16, 2012
2012 Kinich Ahau Art Festival
Shari Williams
This coming Sunday, NICH and Kinich Ahau Art Committee will be holding another festival under the Maya 2012 calendar of activities. The Mayan temple of Altun Ha in the Village of Maskall is the venue to showcase the wood carving industry and the works of the carvers in the area. The artists will also participate in a live wood carving competition. Shari Williams, Press Officer of NICH says it’s an event for the entire family.
Shari Williams, Public Relations Officer, NICH
“The Kinich Ahau Art Festival is scheduled for Sunday the nineteenth in Altun Ha. The purpose behind it was to kinda reintroduce wood art as a viable creative art in Belize. For years, the artists of Altun Ha and Maskall Village Area have been creating masterpieces of wood art and so we felt that it was important to ad this as part of the Mayan calendar this year. this is the second event for the Mayan calendar this year. we are asking everybody to come out and to experience would art carving at its best. There is going to be a competition for wood carvers. And besides the competition we will have live performances, food music. So it is a day to really come out; bring out the entire family, relax and enjoy and see the artists at work in their natural environment creating these beautiful pieces of art.”
For those wishing to attend the festival, a bus leaves Pound Yard Bridge at ten-thirty a.m. and there will also be buses leaving from the villages of Maskal and Crooked Tree at nine-thirty
FRIENDS OF BELIZE - FROM LOCAL CHANNEL 5 TV
So! Friends of Belize is a foreign enterprise? Wonder what their agenda and motives are?
FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL! WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL THIS? WHY?
(From Channel 5 TV in Belize )
Feb 16, 2012
Friends of Belize Forum
Foreign direct investment has nosedived in the past years from one hundred and twenty million to thirty million dollars. This past Wednesday, a high level forum was held in Washington, DC, at the Rhaburn building of the US Capitol complex. The event attracted the participation of personalities from the state department, IMF, Heritage Foundation and business community. It is a first attempt by friends of Belize to propel the country’s profile to attract investment. News Five’s Marleni Cuellar reports.
Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
Economic and security stability were two major issues discussed at the forum. The keynote speaker for the event was Congressman Connie Mack, the chairman of the subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. The congressman spoke about transnational crime and how it has become a threat to democracy.
Connie Mack
Congressman Connie Mack, Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee
“There’s no doubt that the illegal trade, it is the drug trade that is now gone beyond just drugs, human trafficking, intellectual property. These organizations have evolved to the point where they no longer are interested in illegal drugs, but their organization has evolved. In Mexico, we are dealing with what I believe should be characterized for what it is. They are not just drug cartels, they are insurgents. When I say that I usual get some push back—a response that is negative. I actually think it is important that we can identify the organizations as to who they are so we can put the resources forward to try to stop them.”
According to the organizers, this event is a part of their continued efforts to improve Belize’s profile for investment in the United Sates.
Andrew Asher
Andrew Asher, Director, Friends of Belize
“This event is sort of a breakthrough in terms or Belize’s profile in Washington. It is safe to say that nothing like this has been attempted on behalf of Belizeans before and certainly not with the caliber of policy makers and intellectuals that you see before you. We at Friends of Belize hope that this event will catapulting this small unique country in the forefront of debate on regional issues and stimulating awareness of Belizean issues and viewpoints amid the various policy communities in Washington.”
Patrick Kilbride of the US Chamber of Commerce focused on investment. He says the number one issue for companies is Rule of Law. Through an initiative called Coalition for Rule of law and global markets they identified the 5 factors that are most important to promote and defend the rule of law.
Patrick Kilbride, Senior Director, US Chamber of Commerce
Patrick Kilbride
“We identified five factors that we believe are critical to the rule of law in global markets. Number one; transparency—the idea that laws and regulations applied to business should be readily accessible and understood. Number two; predictability—laws and regulations should be applied in a logical and consistent manner. Number three; stability—and this is an area where the business community I think is pushing the envelope a little bit. We want to see the state’s rationale for regulation of business to be cohesive over time. This is the idea that a new administration can’t come into office and radically change the foundation under which companies have been invested. And so we don’t want for instance retrospective or retroactive changes in tax policies. Number four; enforceability and accountability—that is government should be held to the same standards of accountability that the private sector is. And number five; due process—the idea that when disputes arise, as they inevitably do; that there is a fair and predetermined process for the resolution of those disputes—for instance, through binding international arbitration. And we believe that where these factors are present, investment thrives, economies grow, jobs are created and prosperity follows. Where they are absent, corrupt thrives, informality reigns, investment dollars flee and tax revenues plummet.”
Kevin Casas Zamora
The forum also focused on security issues in the region particularly the impacts of transnational crime. Policy expert of the public policy organization, Brookings Institute, Kevin Casas Zamora, referred to the situation as a drug trafficking tsunami with as much of eighty percent of the drugs entering the US being transported through this region.
Kevin Casas Zamora, Interim Director, Brookings Institute
“Very much as a result of this, and there are whole plethora of reasons; but the region has seen a spike in homicide rates gone up very sharply in the recent past and violent rates in general. Homicide rates particularly in the northern part of the Central America are literally the highest in the world. They have stabilized in the past couple of years in certain countries; not in others including Belize. In the case of Belize and very sadly, the homicide rate has skyrocketed in the past decade. It used to be about sixteen or seventeen murders per hundred thousand people in 2000. Now it’s over forty murders per hundred thousand persons which is really and in the very literal way among the worse rates that you can see in the world.”
Zamora gave new perspective as to why this region and Belize have been plagued by drug trafficking. He says it’s not only geography that makes us vulnerable.
Kevin Casas Zamora
“The fact that drug trafficking has become such a huge problem is not just connected to geography; there is more to it. Geography doesn’t help of course—being sandwiched between the big producers of cocaine and the big consumers of cocaine certainly doesn’t help—but it is also about the vulnerability of this country to organize crime for other reasons. These are countries that have extremely weak law enforcement institutions and extremely weak states in general. It is also about the lack of opportunities for young people in Central America. So there is a whole range of reasons that make these countries vulnerable to being prey of organized crim. It is not just about geography. In the case of Belize, it is a weak state because it is very small. It also happens to be in a bad neighborhood and as opposed to the islands in the Caribbean, it has to protect very porous borders—both on land and sea—and that is a big difference and if I understand correctly, the British government is scaling down their military presence. So it is weak, but not because it has chosen to be weak and that is my point. So to that extent, more than any other country in the region, Belize badly needs the support of the international community in this struggle.”
In looking forward, Congressman Connie Mack pointed toward what he called an all government approach to the transnational criminal insurgence.
Congressman Connie Mack
“We started off with the Merida initiative in Mexico. It was a good program; it did a lot of good, but it needs to evolve. We need to now move it to the next level which says that other than the equipment and the coordination that is happening with Mexico, we need to attack this on the financial side. We need to attack this with a whole host of other government relations that are not happening at this time.”
Other members of Friends of Belize, Lynn Young, former CEO of B.E.L, and past ambassadors to Belize: Robert Dieter & Phillip Priestley also addressed the forum.
FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL! WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL THIS? WHY?
(From Channel 5 TV in Belize )
Feb 16, 2012
Friends of Belize Forum
Foreign direct investment has nosedived in the past years from one hundred and twenty million to thirty million dollars. This past Wednesday, a high level forum was held in Washington, DC, at the Rhaburn building of the US Capitol complex. The event attracted the participation of personalities from the state department, IMF, Heritage Foundation and business community. It is a first attempt by friends of Belize to propel the country’s profile to attract investment. News Five’s Marleni Cuellar reports.
Marleni Cuellar, Reporting
Economic and security stability were two major issues discussed at the forum. The keynote speaker for the event was Congressman Connie Mack, the chairman of the subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. The congressman spoke about transnational crime and how it has become a threat to democracy.
Connie Mack
Congressman Connie Mack, Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee
“There’s no doubt that the illegal trade, it is the drug trade that is now gone beyond just drugs, human trafficking, intellectual property. These organizations have evolved to the point where they no longer are interested in illegal drugs, but their organization has evolved. In Mexico, we are dealing with what I believe should be characterized for what it is. They are not just drug cartels, they are insurgents. When I say that I usual get some push back—a response that is negative. I actually think it is important that we can identify the organizations as to who they are so we can put the resources forward to try to stop them.”
According to the organizers, this event is a part of their continued efforts to improve Belize’s profile for investment in the United Sates.
Andrew Asher
Andrew Asher, Director, Friends of Belize
“This event is sort of a breakthrough in terms or Belize’s profile in Washington. It is safe to say that nothing like this has been attempted on behalf of Belizeans before and certainly not with the caliber of policy makers and intellectuals that you see before you. We at Friends of Belize hope that this event will catapulting this small unique country in the forefront of debate on regional issues and stimulating awareness of Belizean issues and viewpoints amid the various policy communities in Washington.”
Patrick Kilbride of the US Chamber of Commerce focused on investment. He says the number one issue for companies is Rule of Law. Through an initiative called Coalition for Rule of law and global markets they identified the 5 factors that are most important to promote and defend the rule of law.
Patrick Kilbride, Senior Director, US Chamber of Commerce
Patrick Kilbride
“We identified five factors that we believe are critical to the rule of law in global markets. Number one; transparency—the idea that laws and regulations applied to business should be readily accessible and understood. Number two; predictability—laws and regulations should be applied in a logical and consistent manner. Number three; stability—and this is an area where the business community I think is pushing the envelope a little bit. We want to see the state’s rationale for regulation of business to be cohesive over time. This is the idea that a new administration can’t come into office and radically change the foundation under which companies have been invested. And so we don’t want for instance retrospective or retroactive changes in tax policies. Number four; enforceability and accountability—that is government should be held to the same standards of accountability that the private sector is. And number five; due process—the idea that when disputes arise, as they inevitably do; that there is a fair and predetermined process for the resolution of those disputes—for instance, through binding international arbitration. And we believe that where these factors are present, investment thrives, economies grow, jobs are created and prosperity follows. Where they are absent, corrupt thrives, informality reigns, investment dollars flee and tax revenues plummet.”
Kevin Casas Zamora
The forum also focused on security issues in the region particularly the impacts of transnational crime. Policy expert of the public policy organization, Brookings Institute, Kevin Casas Zamora, referred to the situation as a drug trafficking tsunami with as much of eighty percent of the drugs entering the US being transported through this region.
Kevin Casas Zamora, Interim Director, Brookings Institute
“Very much as a result of this, and there are whole plethora of reasons; but the region has seen a spike in homicide rates gone up very sharply in the recent past and violent rates in general. Homicide rates particularly in the northern part of the Central America are literally the highest in the world. They have stabilized in the past couple of years in certain countries; not in others including Belize. In the case of Belize and very sadly, the homicide rate has skyrocketed in the past decade. It used to be about sixteen or seventeen murders per hundred thousand people in 2000. Now it’s over forty murders per hundred thousand persons which is really and in the very literal way among the worse rates that you can see in the world.”
Zamora gave new perspective as to why this region and Belize have been plagued by drug trafficking. He says it’s not only geography that makes us vulnerable.
Kevin Casas Zamora
“The fact that drug trafficking has become such a huge problem is not just connected to geography; there is more to it. Geography doesn’t help of course—being sandwiched between the big producers of cocaine and the big consumers of cocaine certainly doesn’t help—but it is also about the vulnerability of this country to organize crime for other reasons. These are countries that have extremely weak law enforcement institutions and extremely weak states in general. It is also about the lack of opportunities for young people in Central America. So there is a whole range of reasons that make these countries vulnerable to being prey of organized crim. It is not just about geography. In the case of Belize, it is a weak state because it is very small. It also happens to be in a bad neighborhood and as opposed to the islands in the Caribbean, it has to protect very porous borders—both on land and sea—and that is a big difference and if I understand correctly, the British government is scaling down their military presence. So it is weak, but not because it has chosen to be weak and that is my point. So to that extent, more than any other country in the region, Belize badly needs the support of the international community in this struggle.”
In looking forward, Congressman Connie Mack pointed toward what he called an all government approach to the transnational criminal insurgence.
Congressman Connie Mack
“We started off with the Merida initiative in Mexico. It was a good program; it did a lot of good, but it needs to evolve. We need to now move it to the next level which says that other than the equipment and the coordination that is happening with Mexico, we need to attack this on the financial side. We need to attack this with a whole host of other government relations that are not happening at this time.”
Other members of Friends of Belize, Lynn Young, former CEO of B.E.L, and past ambassadors to Belize: Robert Dieter & Phillip Priestley also addressed the forum.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
