By Belize Live News Staff: A Belize delegation, led by Christopher Coye, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment, represented Belize at the 2024 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) held in Washington, D.C. from October 21 to 26.
During the IMF sessions, the Belize team held strategic discussions with Mr. Philip Jennings, the Executive Director representing Belize and other Caribbean nations, alongside IMF representatives from the Fiscal Affairs Department and the IMF Belize Country Team led by Mr. Jaime Guajardo. Key topics included Belize’s economic performance, the health of the financial sector, ongoing tax and pension reforms, and strategies for effective expenditure management. The Caribbean Ministerial Meeting also enabled broader dialogue on regional challenges, with a focus on collaborative, cross-border solutions.
At the World Bank, discussions centered on infrastructure resilience, renewable energy initiatives, climate-adapted housing, non-communicable disease prevention, regional integration, and disaster risk financing. Belize’s recent eligibility for International Development Association (IDA) funding was underscored, with progress on projects like the Blue Cities and Beyond Project and the Early Childhood Care and Education Project. The delegation also provided updates on Belize’s bid to gain observer status in the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) and full membership in the Council of Ministers of Finance of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (COSEFIN), aimed at strengthening Belize’s regional ties.
The Belize delegation included Mr. Carlos Pol, Acting Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Economic Development; Mr. Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary; H.E. Lynn Young, Belize’s Ambassador to the United States; Mr. Kareem Michael, Governor of the Central Bank of Belize; and Mrs. Elvira Mendez, Counsellor for Belize at the IDB.
