PM in Bangkok: Belize Wants World Bank Funding to Clear Sargassum
Prime Minister John Briceño says Belize is asking the World Bank to finance projects to remove sargassum from its shores and to explore using the seaweed to generate energy.
Briceño made the announcement in a statement on social media from Thailand, where he is attending the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group.
He said sargassum washing onto Belize’s coast threatens tourism, livelihoods and the economy. “We are meeting with the World Bank to advance financing for projects to remove the sargassum and explore its potential to generate energy.”
Briceño said Belize is making encouraging progress. He said the government is also seeking support for small and medium-sized farmers, who he said have endured repeated hardships, and that strengthening agriculture means protecting their livelihoods and Belize’s food security.
He called energy security another urgent priority. “Belizeans deserve reliable electricity.”
The Prime Minister said the government is determined to end blackouts and expand energy capacity, supported by the Millennium Challenge contract and its partnership with the United States. Briceño said he will chair a meeting in the coming days of more than 50 leaders, many of them finance ministers, on delivering for small states. He chairs the World Bank’s Small States Forum. “Strategies must become action, and action must produce results.”
He said the aim is better jobs, greater opportunity and improved living standards, and that the Belize delegation is working to make sure the country’s needs are heard and addressed. “Belize is here to help lead, and we will keep pressing for results that our people can see and feel.”
He opened by saying Belize carries costs it did little to create. “Belize bears the costs of challenges we did little to create.”