The Government of Belize today became the 184th country to sign on to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
The Acting Prime Minister of Belize Hon. Patrick Faber, in the presence of the UN Resident Coordinator Christian Salazar Volkmann, officials from the Government of Belize and members of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, signed the treaty making Belize a signatory of the UNCAC.
The announcement that Belize would be signing on to the UNCAC came in October this year and in November Cabinet agreed to move straight to accession. The Senate held a special sitting on 30th November to approve the motion authorizing accession to the UNCAC. The signing signals the start of the development of the framework for the upcoming work plan of the Government of Belize under the Convention.
At the signing ceremony Hon. Faber said that is a pleasure for the country to become a signatory of the Convention and that this will aid in championing the issues of corruption in Belize. He added that it is only one step forward in the development of Belize and that the government is glad to be a part of a global effort in fighting against corruption and fostering the development of countries and their people.
In his address, Volkmann said, “I can assure you, the people of Belize that the UN, particularly UNODC and UNDP, we are ready to help Belize on its way to bring in the experience from other countries, to bring in the technical expertise this is needed to move forward on a way that in fact is a task of the Belizean government, the Belizean society, to find the right ways to end corruption and be more transparent.”
The date for the signing, December 9th, was chosen to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day.
