The governance framework for the Belize MSP Process has been developed and identifies five major groups that will play key roles in the development of the Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan. These groups include the CEO Executive Committee, BSOP Steering Committee, BSOP Core Team, Public Stakeholders, and Technical Working Groups. This framework has been designed to facilitate a two-way flow of information between the groups tasked with the responsibility of coordinating technical, policy and legislative inputs into the MSP process (i.e. BSOP Core Team, and BSOP Steering Committee) with that groups expected to, provide inputs to inform the formulation of the BSOP (i.e. Technical Working Groups and Public Stakeholders). Information and input derived from the Technical Working Groups and the general public will be used to inform all outputs generated throughout the process. Once prepared, outputs will then be sent to the CEO Executive Committee for final approval and onward submission of progress reports required under the BLA and CFA.
Committees
The MSP Executive Committee takes high level decisions based on information provided from the MSP Steering Committee, Technical Working Groups and public workshops. The EC is a Ministerial and CEO level group.
Chair: Chief Executive Officer, Office of the Prime Minister
MEMBERS:
Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management
Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining
Attorney General
Financial Secretary
Ministry of National Defence and Border Security
The MSP Steering Committee provides leadership and oversight of outputs and the timeline to complete the MSP. Reviewing outputs, provide technical, policy and legislative input, and work to find agreement on these outputs from all relevant sectors engaged in the MSP Process. The Steering Committee provides their recommendation(s) on outputs via the Blue Bond and Finance Permanence (BBFP) Unit for approval by the Executive Committee before outputs are presented to MSP Stakeholder Workshops and for the general public engagement.
CEO: CEO Executive Committee
Chair: Chief Executive Officer, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
Co-Chair: Vice President, University of Belize
Secretary: MSP Process Lead, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
Recording Secretary: MSP Coordinator, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
MEMBERS:
Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management
Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change
Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations
Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment
Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum and Mining,
Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute
Blue Bond & Finance Permanence Unit, Office of the Prime Minister
The Nature Conservancy
Belize Network of Non-Governmental Organizations (BNN)
Belize Port Authority
Energy Unit, Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics
University of Belize (UB)
Belize National Coast Guard
Belize Fisheries Department
Belize Forest Department
Department of Environment
Chairs of 4 Technical Working Groups: Finance and Investment; Fisheries (inclusive of Aquaculture); Marine and Coastal Ecosystems; and Tourism
Utilizes information to generate spatial and non-spatial outputs to inform the Belize Sustainable Ocean Plan. The Core Team facilitates an interactive process to allow stakeholders to have several opportunities to provide input.
Chair: Chief Executive Officer, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
Secretary: MSP Process Lead, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
Recording Secretary: MSP Coordinator, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
MEMBERS:
Blue Bond & Finance Permanence Unit
Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
Belize Fisheries Department
Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management
The Nature Conservancy
World Wildlife Fund
The Technical Working Groups (TWGs) provides technical and sectoral information, local knowledge and topic expertise to inform the development of planning tools and draft outputs during the MSP process. This includes the provision of all relevant data, knowledge, and information that can be used to ensure that relevant ecological and socio-economic matters for each sector are appropriately addressed within the BSOP. The TWGs provides recommendations outputs, via the TWG Chairs on the BSOP Steering Committee, before being presented for review and approval by the CEO Executive Committee via the Blue Bond and Finance Permanence (BBFP) Unit.
As per the governance framework for the development of the BSOP, the following seven (7) Technical Working Groups have been established:
Secretary: MSP Unit, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
Recording Secretary: MSP Unit, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute
MEMBERS:
1. Energy:
- Energy Unit, Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics
-Belize Electricity Limited (BEL)
-PUMA Energy
-Belize Natural Energy (BNE)
2. Finance and Investment:
-Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Chair
-Climate Finance Unit
-Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment
-Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT)
-Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
-Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future
-Environmental Defence Fund (EDF)
3. Fisheries inclusive of Aquaculture:
-Northern Fishermen Cooperative Society Ltd.
-Belize Fishermen Cooperative Association
-The Nature Conservancy – Fisheries Improvement Program as a NGO
-Aquaculture Unit, Ministry of Agriculture
-Caribbean Network for Fisherfolk Organization
-Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
-Belize Federation of Fishers
-The Belize Fisheries Department
-Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association
4. Marine and Coastal Development:
-Mining Unit, Ministry of Natural Resources Petroleum & Mining
-Physical Planning Section, Ministry of Natural Resources Petroleum & Mining
Department of Environment
-Belize Network of NGOs (BNN)
-Institute of Archaeology (NICH) Belize
-Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change
-Association of Real Estate Brokers of Belize
5. Marine and Coastal Ecosystems:
-Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) (TWG Chair)
-National Biodiversity Office (NBIO)
-Belize Forest Department
-University of Belize / ERI
-Belize Fisheries Department
-Hol Chan Marine Reserve
-Crocodile Research Coalition
-Clearwater Marine Aquarium Belize
-The University of the West Indies Open Campus Belize (UWI)
-Fragments of Hope
6. Maritime Administration
-Belize Coast Guard
-Harvest Caye
-The Belize High Seas Fisheries Unit (BHSFU)
-San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi Limited
-Port Coral
-Port of Belize
-Belize Port Authority
7. Tourism:
-Belize Local Association of Stakeholders in Tourism (BLAST)
-Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) *Chair
-Belize Tourism Board (BTB) (inactive)
-Fort Street Tourism Village
-Belize Island Holding Limited
-CZMAI Sports Fishing Unit
-Ministry of Tourism & Diaspora Relations
* Note: Membership list is being updated with new nominations
