CARICOM and SICA Flags Reestablished at Belize City Flag Monument to Mark 24th Anniversary

Today, CARICOM and SICA flags were reestablished at Belize City’s renowned flag monument. The ceremony marking 24 years since the monument’s original dedication, celebrated the bonds between Belize and its Caribbean and Central American neighbors to emphasize the importance of regional integration in economic, social, and political growth. The Mayor of Belize City, Bernard Wagner, emphasized the importance of taking this symbolic step.

Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “Today we stand at the Belize City Flag Monument, a 24-year-old gift from Barclays Bank that once served Belize, now finding new life as we restore its original tradition and significance. This monument was originally created to honor the vibrant and diverse ties that Belize shares with our Caribbean and Central American neighbors. Positioned here in the heart of Belize City, it symbolizes our region’s warm connections and shared goals. It is a key reminder of Belize’s geopolitical distinctiveness as the only English-speaking country in Central America, and the only Central American state to also be a part of the Caribbean Community. Over the years, it may have been easy to pass by without a second glance, except during September, when we adorned each pole with our national flag. But today, we renew its importance. In the early days of this monument, it was the Scout Association of Belize who took on the duty of raising and lowering these flags each day, instilling in our youth a sense of national pride, a sense of regional pride. We once again lean on them to raise these flags today, which will remain up, illuminated by spotlights in the night time. These flags remind us that we are not alone in our struggles or triumphs. We share them with our neighbours. The flags around this monument may be made of cloth but they hold the dreams and ambitions of millions and millions across the Caribbean and Central America.”

A big concern is just how beneficial the bilateral ties between Belize and SICA and CARICOM countries are as it is oftentimes believed that the scale of benefits is in unbalanced. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Francis Fonseca, spoke about the need to get Belizean products on the market. 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs: “Belize is obviously in a very unique position. And we often, as you all know, have historically talked about being a bridge between Central America and the Caribbean because of that unique feature of our foreign policy being able to belong to both of these important regional blocks, both the Caribbean community and SICA, the Central American Integration Organization. But the question has always been, you know, how meaningful is that membership and what benefits has Belize reaped from being a member of these organizations? And I think for the most part, the benefit we have reaped, particularly through CARICOM has been political, to be very honest about it, because of their strong commitment to Belize’s self-government, to Belize’s independence, to Belize’s territorial integrity, to our right to self-determination CARICOM has been a seamless block of support in terms of that effort for Belize. So political development has been really the priority, I think, for many, many years. Now I think over the past decade or so I think there has been a renewed effort on Belize’s part to look at economic development. How can we benefit economically from these regional organizations? And that’s where I think we have a real opportunity and we have been working very aggressively on that issue over the past few years here in Belize.”

The event was attended by ministers, members of the diplomatic corps, and the Scout Association of Belize.