NGC Advances Talks with Government on Indigenous Rights

Earlier this month, the National Garifuna Council (NGC) took a major step in its ongoing work with the Government of Belize by submitting a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) to the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs.  According to the council, the aim of the new MOU is to see policy and legislation passed that will secure the rights of the Garinagu as one of the indigenous peoples of Belize. NGC’s National President, Alex Nolberto, spoke about the content of the new draft.

 

Alex Nolberto, National President, National Garifuna Council

“So it’s an amendment to an existing document, that this new executive has amended to strengthen the existing MOU. So what this does, it provides for a stronger foundation so that we’re better able to protect our rights, our traditional spaces, and preserve our language through the Language Commission, for example. We look at the discrimination aspect of it so that our people are not discriminated against. So it’s rooted heavily in the Constitution of Belize, UN conventions, and other UN-guided documentation. So it’s a solid document and we’re waiting for the government’s review to be completed. We interact quite frequently with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs who has been very supportive and we believe that that document will be signed in short order.”