Government Launches Consultations on National Identification Bill

The Government of Belize has officially launched nationwide consultations aimed at shaping a new National Identification Bill, marking the first step toward creating a modern national ID system.  The consultation process opened on Tuesday with an interactive session that brought together representatives from civil society, academia, the private sector, and government agencies. Participants discussed concerns, asked questions, and offered recommendations to guide the drafting of the legislation.  According to government officials, the proposed law is intended to create a single, secure legal framework for managing identification in Belize while improving the way citizens access services and opportunities. The bill is expected to include safeguards for personal data protection, establish oversight mechanisms, and clearly define the responsibilities of institutions managing the system.  Chief Executive Officer for E-Governance, Jose Urbina, explained some six months ago, that the process could take up to three years for full implementation.

Jose Urbina, CEO, Ministry of E Governance: “While the Cabinet has approved the country-wide rollout or enrollment of citizens and residents, we still need to go through our due diligence within the Government of Belize through the Ministry of Finance and the Contractor General to ensure that we also get the proper approvals for us to be able to continue the process. So Cabinet has just given us the green light. Yes, we can proceed based on the results we have achieved under the pilot project. But the due diligence still needs to happen with the procurement process. The initial timeline to complete the national ID project is a three years timeline. Mind you, we are very hopeful because we have done the pilot project that we would be able to accelerate the deployment and begin the enrollment of citizens on this new platform.  So we can be a little bit more aggressive, but we also need to take into consideration the legislation that comes along with the national ID. This morning when I woke up I saw on my WhatsApp several links, you know, pushback of the national ID and how it’s going to be used and what is the function and they don’t agree with the national ID.  But we need to also set the foundation. We know that a legal review is required to ensure that we have the legislative backing to have a national ID rollout. So that’s going to be one of our priorities to be able to do an open tender for the legal review to develop the legislation needed that must come along and substantiate and back the national ID along with the infrastructure and stakeholder engagement and communication and sensitization of the Belizean public as to why a national ID and why it is important to move forward with the digital transformation that this government is currently undertaking.”

Authorities say the new ID framework would make it easier for Belizeans to access public services, financial systems, and social assistance programs, while also strengthening national security and administrative efficiency. The initiative is also part of the country’s broader push toward digital government services.  More public meetings and awareness activities are planned in the coming weeks, and the government is encouraging citizens to participate and share their views. Love News understands that the details on how the public can contribute will be posted on the Ministry of E-Governance Facebook page.