2025-07-21 - Greater Belize Media

Belize Secures Win Against Panama in U23 Volleyball Championship Opener

Belize’s Under-23 Women’s National Volleyball Team secured a strong start to the 2025 U23 Central American Volleyball Championship. The team defeated Panama in straight sets at the Belize City Civic Center over the weekend.

The victory marked the team’s opening match in the regional tournament, which is being hosted in Belize. They are scheduled to face El Salvador in their next match today.

The women’s win adds on to the Men’s National Volleyball Team’s recent achievement. Last week, the men’s team earned silver at the AFECAVOL Men’s Final Four Championship held in El Salvador.

Biometric National ID: What Does It Mean for Your Other IDs?

As previously reported, the government of Belize has approved the nationwide rollout of a new national identification system. This project is part of Belize’s digital transformation agenda, and its pilot project has already been completed.

Jose Urbina, the CEO in the Ministry of E-governance, told News 5 that the pilot project kicked off earlier this year. As of April, the project has successfully onboarded approximately 600 persons to the system.

CEO Urbina confirmed that the national ID will use biometric technology to properly authenticate each applicant, going beyond traditional forms of identification such as social security cards or passports.

“We are hoping that in September, we launch the civil registry in vital statistics, a new system of the vital statistics unit. We recently launched the criminal record registry (CRR) so that our citizens can apply for police records online. How do you log in to these systems currently if I reference the CRR? It’s simply by using your email, and you get a 2-factor authentication code by means of email,” Urbina said.

He added, “But we cannot do that for critical services. If you look at banking, if you want to apply for a loan. The social security card or passport is what they ask for. But we’re hoping that in the future, as we drive digitalisation, you would be able to apply for a loan from the comfort of your home.”

The national ID will feature end-to-end encryption and multiple security layers.

“It’s not something that’s being prepared loosely,” Urbina said. “We are ensuring that all the security layers are in place to protect the transmission of the information and also to safeguard the database.”

Urbina clarified that the national ID will not immediately replace existing IDs. He said this has been one of the biggest misunderstandings of the public. He explained that functional IDs such as social security cards, driver’s licenses, and voter IDs each serve different purposes and will remain in use for their purpose.

“The social security card is used to track your employment, contributions, and benefits,” he explained, while a license “identifies driving rights,” and a voter’s ID is strictly for voting.

The long-term aim is to have the National ID replace all forms of identification.

Belize and Guatemala Vow Peaceful ICJ Resolution

Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca, met today with his Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martinez Alvarado, to discuss key areas of mutual interest aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

During their meeting in Washington, D.C., “the ministers are discussing key areas of mutual interest, including trade, regional cooperation, and ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations,” according to the statement.

The two ministers committed to peacefully resolving the longstanding territorial, insular, and maritime dispute currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). They also underscored the importance of maintaining mutual respect and constructive dialogue throughout the process.

Discussions covered trade, regional cooperation, and ongoing efforts to deepen collaboration between the neighbouring countries.

Minister Fonseca is in the United States on an official visit, where he is holding a series of high-level meetings at the Embassy of Belize with representatives from the Organisation of American States (OAS) and U.S. government officials.

ICJ to Hear Guatemala’s Bid to Intervene in Belize-Honduras Territorial Dispute

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold oral hearings in November to decide whether to allow Guatemala to formally intervene in the ongoing territorial case between Belize and Honduras.

The ICJ has set the hearing for Monday, November 24, 2025, where judges will consider Guatemala’s application to participate in the case involving sovereignty over the Sapodilla Cayes, a group of small islands in Belize’s southern waters near Honduras.

Belize first filed the claim at the ICJ on November 16, 2022, asking the Court to rule that the Sapodilla Cayes rightfully belong to Belize and not Honduras. Belize submitted its written arguments (Memorial) in May 2023, and Honduras responded with its Counter-Memorial in December 2023. Both countries had agreed that no further written submissions were necessary.

However, Guatemala filed an application on December 1, 2023, to intervene in the proceedings, a move Belize did not oppose, but Honduras did. The Court must therefore decide whether Guatemala has a legal interest significant enough to join the case before the main hearings can move forward.

“The Office of the Agent (OOTA) has been working closely with the legal teams engaged for both territorial cases before the Court and will be prepared to effectively represent Belize’s interests at the November hearings.”

NHC Monitors Invest 94L in Central Atlantic

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is keeping a close watch on an area of low pressure, now designated Invest 94L, located roughly 700 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles.

According to the NHC’s latest Tropical Weather Outlook issued this morning, showers and thunderstorms linked to the system have shown little change in organisation overnight. Environmental conditions remain only marginally favourable, meaning any further development is expected to be slow as the system tracks west-northwest at about 10 to 15 miles per hour.

Forecasters currently give Invest 94L just a 20 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm over the next two days and the same low chance over the next week. By midweek, conditions in the Atlantic are expected to become less favourable for any significant strengthening.

Regardless of development, the system could bring heavy rainfall to parts of the Lesser Antilles by midweek, increasing the risk of localised flooding. Residents in the region are advised to monitor updates as the system approaches.

Dr Cecilio Eck Recovering After Successful Surgery

There’s good news for Dr. Cecilio Eck as he continues to battle cancer: his shoulder reconstruction surgery was a success.

The operation was completed last week in Richmond, Virginia. According to an update from his family, everything went smoothly and on time, and Dr. Eck did very well during the procedure. He is now in recovery.

The surgery is the latest milestone in Dr. Eck’s ongoing fight against stage 4 biliary tract cancer, diagnosed one year ago. In a recent video, he shared that he has undergone radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy since receiving a prognosis of six months to two years from three oncologists.

Dr. Eck said the surgery was made possible through World Paediatrics and the Milagros Team, who provided the procedure free of cost.

“Please continue to pray for a speedy and complete recovery as he enters this next phase of healing,” the family said.

Ministry Responds to Reports of $250,000 Vehicle Purchase

Last Friday, News Five reported on a government contract revealing the purchase of a pre-owned 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser VX from Car Guys Belize Limited for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The report raised questions about whether taxpayer money should be used for such an expensive vehicle, even with shipping, duties, and other costs included.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has clarified that the vehicle was not purchased with taxpayers’ funds. The ministry said, “The Ministry received two vehicles through its strategic partners. Further, since the start of the Briceño Administration in November 2020, the Ministry has not purchased any vehicles with taxpayer’s funds. Instead, vehicles acquired for the Ministry’s fleet have been donated by various development partners in support of the institutional strengthening of the Ministry.”

The vehicle is assigned to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Culture, and Immigration Francis Fonseca.

According to the ministry, “are used for its daily operations and for the provision of protocol services for the entire Government of Belize.”

News of the purchase broke when the Public Service Union posted the letter from the ministry to the owner of Car Guys, Said Perdomo. Public backlash was swift