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On May 11th, 2017, the Government of Belize and UNDP Hosted the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) South-South Cooperation where BelizeINVEST, BELTRAIDE presented on Cases of the Sustainable Path for Investment in Belize’s Priority Investment Industries along with the investment incentives available and the Belize Investment Portfolio initiative.

The Government of Belize, as a participant of the Global Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), hosted the south-south cooperation exchange with representatives of other regional BIOFIN countries: namely Costa Rica, Colombia and Guatemala. This event was held from May 10 to 11, 2017 at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza in Belize City. Through this engagement, Belizean stakeholders will gain insight on finance modalities developed by targeted BIOFIN countries, as well as the experience of other BIOFIN countries in the implementation of the BIOFIN assessments. The aim of the exchange is to ultimately strengthen BIOFIN implementation in Belize.

In December 2015, Belize as a country signed on to the global BIOFIN. This global partnership responds to an assessment conducted by the High-Level Panel on Global Assessment of Resources for the Implementing of the Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan, which indicated the persistence of significant gaps in the financing of biodiversity management. At the national level, BIOFIN is managed by UNDP Belize, and works under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development and Immigration and the Ministry of Economic Development, Petroleum, Investment, Trade and Commerce, to bring together a core group of national stakeholders, including the private sector, to challenge traditional perceptions of biodiversity. The initiative recognizes biodiversity not only for its ecological attributes, but also as a development asset.

BIOFIN Global is managed by the UNDP Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme and supported by the European Union and the Governments of Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Flanders. The Global Environment Facility is a further partner, financing parallel in-country projects. As of January 2015, there are thirty (30) core participating countries in the BIOFIN Initiative.