Belmopan. April 3rd, 2019. Yesterday, Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019, Dr. Hon. Omar Figueroa, Minister with responsibility for Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development (MFFESD) in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) held an Agreement Signing Ceremony for the project entitled “Belize Urban Resilience and Disaster Prevention Project”.
Belize suffers from the threat of extreme rainfall due to climate change. The low-lying coastal plains, as well as its densely populated areas, endure the worst impacts, causing the loss of lives and property. In order to minimize the impact caused by extreme weather, the Government of Belize and the San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Council have partnered with the Republic of China (Taiwan) to build the country’s resilience to climate change by utilizing the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena as a pilot model.
The agreement is for the implementation of a three-year program aimed at strengthening overall flood preparedness and prevention through enhanced technical capabilities in the application of technology (e.g. GIS and Remote Sensing), applying advanced monitoring techniques to develop a flood early warning system and delivering training courses relevant to this activity; implementing controls in flood-prone areas through improved structural measures; and raising awareness and knowledge of disaster prevention and preparedness to those at risk.
The Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Immigration, in collaboration with the Taiwan Technical Mission in Belize will serve as the executing agencies for this US$1.2 million-dollar project.
Present at the ceremony were H.E. Ambassador Remus Li-Kuo Chen of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and His Lordship Mayor Earl Trapp of San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council.
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