BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for Central America and the Dominican Republic have ended a two-day meeting here amidst reports that the economies of those countries are recovering “slightly faster” than that of other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
The latest IDB activities report titled “Creating Opportunities and Building Resilience: Priorities for Sustainable Recovery” said a rebound in tourism, remittances, and agricultural exports drives the improved economic situation.
However, it noted that higher food prices exacerbate food insecurity and imperil progress toward eliminating poverty.
Prime Minister John Briceño, in his address to the thirty-sixth annual meeting, said he was pleased that the newly elected IDB President, Ilan Goldfajn, had traveled to Belmopan to present his vision of having an “IDB that’s more agile, that’s more nimble that can be able to address the issues that are confronting us, the social problems such as poverty, climate change, and infrastructure development. “These three themes are significant to Belize. We have an issue with poverty: when we get into government, poverty is over fifty-two percent. That is going down. We have to address the issue of crime in Belize, work with the gangs, and see how we can get them away from that kind of life to a more productive one.
“That is why we are asked to continue to invest heavily in education. Climate change; well, we all know about it. We live with climate change. Every day we have hurricanes, we have droughts, we have too many rains, we have flooding, and these are issues that we have to be able to address every single day and see how we can now be able to have more climate resiliency, be it in infrastructure, be it in agriculture, be it in tourism.”
Briceño said it is essential to be able to address these issues head-on.
Goldfajn, in outlining his vision for expanding the Bank’s contribution to these countries’ development, emphasized that in a context of more frequent and more severe crises, Central America and the Dominican Republic should prioritize policies that foster resilience, with people’s welfare as their core focus.
“At the IDB Group, we will channel our assistance toward effectively erasing the obstacles to sustainable and inclusive growth,” said Goldfajn, adding, “we will strive to advance social development, intensifying our efforts to reduce poverty and food insecurity.
“We will also help countries combat climate change, invest in sustainable infrastructure, and enhance their natural disaster risk management systems. Partnering with the private sector is also a key component of our strategy for mobilizing resources and fostering regional development.”
The two-day meeting took place ahead of the IDB annual meeting scheduled in Panama from March 16–19.
The IDB said that last year, the Washington-based financial institution provided US$4.166 billion in financing to the countries of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.
It said these efforts have allowed the IDB to continue providing support to the region that has centered on bolstering income for the poorest sectors, closing gaps in the quality and coverage of essential services, boosting the productivity of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), enhancing the efficiency of the public sector, and mitigating and adapting to climate change.
“All these actions have moved the region closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that over the last six years of its work with the public sector, the IDB Group has helped improve the quality of healthcare for 24 million people in this region.
and then  for Central America and the Dominican Republic have ended a two-day meeting here amidst){kind=link}