On 5 December, the Regional Representative and several UN representatives met with Belize’s Prime Minister and his Chief Executive Officer in which she welcomed the opportunity to engage with the PM in a fruitful spirit of collaboration. The Regional Representative raised several issues of concern to OHCHR, inter alia the situation concerning the lack of consultation with Maya indigenous peoples, the reported discrimination of the LGBT community, and the need to approve of the country’s gender policy, which has remained dormant in Cabinet since 2011.
The PM agreed to take immediate steps to enhance Belize’s reporting record to the treaty monitoring bodies, and took note of the scheduled review by the Human Rights Committee in the absence of a report due in March 2013 and the upcoming Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the Human Rights Council’s 17th session in October 2013. The Prime Minister welcomed OHCHR’s offer of technical assistance to establish an inter-ministerial mechanism in line with experiences in other countries of the region. During the visit, the Regional Office also had the opportunity to observe a Court hearing on the inconstitutionality of a section of the Criminal Code which criminalizes gay relationships. The Regional Office also held several working level meetings to raise awareness of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) second cycle with State representatives, UN resident and non-resident agencies and members of civil society.
