Belize Hosts EU-CELAC Workshop on Citizen Security

Belmopan. January 25, 2019.  From 23rd to 24th January 2019, Belize hosted the joint European Union (EU) and Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC) Workshop on Citizen Security in Belize City. The event was co-organized by the EU and CELAC in the framework of the implementation of Chapter 10 of the EU-CELAC Action Plan. Experts from 31 CELAC and EU countries participated in the event, as well as several regional organizations, local governments, and civil society organizations.

The workshop was the third and final activity mandated under Chapter 10 of the Action Plan and involved for the first time civil society and local governments. The topics discussed included police and border control cooperation, criminal investigation and intelligence sharing as well as the role of local governments and civil society in enhancing citizen security.  The workshop concluded with both regions recognizing the need to continue strengthening their cooperation on citizen security, and noting keenly, the unique forum bi-regional workshops like these provide for the exchange of best practices.

The workshop was opened on 23rd January by the Honourable John Saldivar, Minister of National Security of Belize; H.E. Malgorzata Wasilewska, Head of EU Delegation to Belize; and Mr. Luis Fernando Rosales Lozada, representative of the Bolivian CELAC Presidency Pro Tempore. The organisation of the workshop by Belize was a collaborative effort between the Mission of Belize to the EU and the Ministries of National Security and Foreign Affairs of Belize.

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