WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/TPR/M/238 
3 December 2010 
 (10-6507) 
Trade Policy Review Body 
3 and 5 November 2010  
 
 
 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
 
BELIZE 
 
Record of the Meeting  
 
Chairperson:  H.E. Mr. Bozkurt Aran (Turkey) 
 
  Page 
 
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 3 
II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF BELIZE 4 
III. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 8 
IV. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 10 V. REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATI VE OF BELIZE AND ADDITIONAL 
 COMMENTS  22 
VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 28 
 
Note:   Advance written questions by WTO Me mbers and the replies provided by Belize are 
reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/238/Add.1 and will be available online at:  
http://www.wto.org/english/tr atop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm.    WT/TPR/M/238 
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  I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1. The second Trade Policy Review of Belize was held on 3 and 5 November 2010.  
The Chairperson H.E. Mr. Bozkurt Aran (Turkey) welcomed the delegation of Belize, headed by 
Mrs. Orla Kantun Coleman, Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and the 
discussant, Mr. Declan Morrin (Ireland).   
2. The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Trad e Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting.  The report by Belize was contained in document WT/TPR/G/238 and 
that of the WTO Secretariat in WT/TPR/S/238. 
3. Questions by the following delegations had been  submitted in writing at least two weeks in 
advance and had been transmitted to  the delegation of Belize:  Brazil, the United States, Canada and 
Japan. 
4. The following delegations submitted written ques tions after the two-week deadline:  the 
European Union and Mexico. 
5. The Chairperson noted that both the Government and the Secretariat reports prepared for this 
Review gave useful insights into the challenges c onfronting the Belizean government over the past six 
years.  Some of the main challenges included:  hi gh levels of debt and issues related to preference 
erosion.  External factors, like the global financial crisis and wide fluctuations in commodity prices, 
had also had a significant impact on the econo my.  Belize's vulnerability to adverse weather 
conditions was brought sharply into focus very recently with the damage caused by Hurricane 
Richard. 
6. In its Report, the Government of Belize ha d outlined the importance of achieving economic 
growth in order to generate employment and re duce poverty.  To achieve these goals, it had touched 
upon efforts to:  attract foreign direct investment;  strengthen the services sector;  diversify its exports;  and encourage the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.  In addition, the Secretariat 
Report also mentioned important ongoing customs reform  efforts.  He noted that Members would be 
interested to hear how these initiatives were progressi ng and what concrete results had been achieved. 
7. At the same time, the Secretariat Report had pointed out that there was some scope for 
improving the business climate in Belize.  It noted,  for example, that its trade regime involved a 
complex mix of policies, some of which appeared to be at odds with each other.  There might be some 
room for simplifying the tax regime and improvi ng transparency and predictability in import 
licensing.  The latter would improve the prospects fo r development of agro processing in particular.  
8. Members might also be interested in hearing wh ether Belize had explored other alternatives to 
using the import licensing regime or if it saw the cr eation of a regional institution to administer trade 
remedies as an option. 
9. Finally, he noted that a significant part of the Secretariat Report was devoted to Aid for 
Trade.  Perhaps Belize could also use the opportunity  of this meeting to elaborate on its needs under 
this very important initiative. WT/TPR/M/238 
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  II. OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF BELIZE 
10. The structural constraints and challenges endemi c to small vulnerable economies continue to 
test our ability to truly promote the socio-economic welfare and we ll being of our people.  Though 
perhaps a little too well-known, I feel necessity is laid  upon me to put into a Belizean context, the vast 
array of challenges, of a domestic and globa l hue that we continue to grapple with. 
11. Our country’s population has grown marginally  and is now 330,000 up by 60,000 or 22% 
since our last Review in 2004.  Since last, we have  assiduously been working on the diversification of 
the economy and have progressed, evidenced by exports  which have expanded to include papayas, 
beans, extraction of petroleum, expansion in cr uise and overnight touris m and financial services. 
Despite this progress, to a large extent, the trad itional products – sugar, ba nana, citrus and aqua-
culture remain inextricably linked to the economy.  
12. During the period 2005-2010, we experienced fi rsthand, the globalization phenomenon as we 
saw the complete closure of our only garment fa ctory in 2008 which resulted in the immediate 
unemployment of 400 persons. We saw the shrimp a quaculture industry undertak e necessary internal 
adjustments towards improving competitiveness as a consequence of declining world prices.  
Unfortunately, one of our largest shrimp farm became a casualty both as a result of the latter and 
because of the financial crisis.  The closure of this  shrimp farm resulted in job losses of 1,000 persons. 
The discovery of petroleum in 2006 was heralded as a much needed respite for the economy.  It now 
accounts for 40% of total export earnings but regretta bly, the much anticipated multiplier effects has 
not and will not likely be visible on the economy at large. 
13. By far one of the greatest challenges to the agricu lture sector is contending with the effects of 
frequently changing weather patterns.  Our country, th e whole region, in fact has seen an increase in 
the intensity and frequency of an erratic weather pattern, the effects of what is known as "climate 
change".  As we speak, my country has begun th e recovery process following the damaging effects 
sustained from the Category 1 Hurricane Richard wh ich passed through the country only last week 
Sunday.  Preliminary figures put the damages at US$15 million.  Aside from this most recent 
occurrence, we were still recovering from the effects of Tropical Storm Arthur’s flooding of southern 
Belize in May/June 2008, and Tropical Depression Nu mber 16 in the western, central and northern 
Belize in October/November of the same year.  The latter caused losses of property, assets and, more significantly, food crops amounting to 5.4% of GDP. 
14. In 2007, the Northern districts were also ra vaged by Hurricane Dean resulting in around 6,000 
persons being severely affected through damaged or  destroyed housing, while the number of those 
affected through loss of crops was estimated at ar ound 21,000, equivalent to over a quarter of the 
population of these districts.  As you would appreciate by now, climate change is real for us and no part of the country is safe from these climatic ev ents as evidenced by the recent Hurricane Richard 
which struck inland, Belmopan, the capital of Belize.  The prevailing attitude is that every year, from 
June to November, my country waits with deep  nervousness and anxiety to see what new weather 
phenomenon will disclose itself.  Sometimes it seem s that as we make progress in one area we 
become deluged with new and greater challenges in other areas. 
15. Services continue to contribute tremendously to  the overall growth and development of the 
country with tourism and financial services sectors being the most promoted.  The tourism industry was on a remarkable growth trend  until it was impacted by the global recession in 2008 which 
marked for the first time, negative growth over a two-year period.  On a more positive note though, 
tourism arrivals have rebounded in th e second quarter of this year - if nothing else, the financial crisis 
has forced us to become more assertive and innova tive in pursuing new marketing opportunites.  We 
are hopeful that our aggresive marketing strategies will enhance these growth trends and allow for the 
high growth rates of the pre-recession years.   WT/TPR/M/238 
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  16. The financial services sector has been steadily increasing in its importance to the country both 
in its contribution to GDP and as a source of empl oyment.  The cornerstone of Belize’s international 
financial services industry has invariably been to de velop the industry without sacrificing or diluting 
regulatory standards. Our track record shows that  we fully cooperate with the Organization for 
Economic Cooperation and Develo pment and countries in cooperative efforts towards greater 
transparency and exchange of information.  We are party to several double taxation and mutual legal 
assistance treaties and are engaging with many more countries to sign similar agreements.   
17. During these six years, we have been taking co ncrete steps towards establishing ourselves as 
the bridge between the Central America and CARICOM sub-regions.  We continue to subscribe to the 
importance of regional integration as a foundation for growth and development as demonstrated by 
our legal and administrative readiness to embrace th e Single Market component of the Single Market 
and Economy (CSME) in 2006.  In the last two years,  we have begun to wrestle  with the liberalization 
effects on our country emanating from our regional commitments.  Nonetheless, we persist in our 
efforts to honour our commitments and obligations a nd to continue the endless task of educating the 
populace of the gains and opportunities arising from trad e and economic integration.  As we continue 
on this trajectory of trade liberalization, we ar e working hard to ensure congruence between these 
arrangements and domestic policies particularly  as it relates to putting in place appropriate 
mechanisms to support the private sector such  as, establishing disciplines in competition and 
safeguards.   
18. Our efforts at fostering growth and developmen t does not end there, as it is now two years 
since we entered into a new phase of our relationshi p with a long-standing part ner in development, the 
European Union through the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).  True, some of the same 
structural constraints hindering our effective par ticipation in the CSME are also relevant in the 
context of EPA implementation.  However, we ar e confident that our long standing partner in 
development will make good on the commitment of pr oviding 2 billion euros aid for trade resources 
that "will be potentially available every year fro m 2010" and of which "50% of the aid for trade 
package would be available for needs prioritized by  ACP countries …".  It is only a matter of time 
before we fully develop the administrative capac ity to better service these trading arrangements and 
get on with the more serious task of improvi ng our business environment through completing the 
necessary legal and administrative policy reform that has as part of its ultimate aim, the transformation of the economy.  
19. Within our immediate geographic space, we are in the process of implementing the Belize-
Guatemala Partial Scope Trade Agreement. This is a good example of the flexibility accorded to 
developing countries to pursue bilateral arrangeme nts amongst themselves with differing levels of 
ambition.  We are convinced that south-south trad e holds great potential for our country and other 
developing countries.    
20. Our absence at the centre of this trade rul es-making body (WTO) has affected our ability to 
be apprised of and more importantly participate in th e very rules that we will later need to abide by - 
more a function of resource constraints than anythi ng else.  Nonetheless, we have made good use of 
the assistance offered by the Secretariat along with  other development-friendly organizations and 
donor partners to develop greater awareness of trad e rules and of understanding the implications of 
such on our national policy space.  We recognize that reforming or overturning longstanding and 
strongly entrenched policies and practices requi res some patience and commitment and strong 
political will. We are confident that the patience,  political will and hard work will pay off sooner 
rather than later.     
21. We are committed to the rules based multilateral tr ading system and are firmly convinced that 
the WTO has a key role to play and to deliver especially to small players such as the Members 
represented in the small vulnerable economies (SVEs) .  Failure of the Doha Development Agenda WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 6  
 
  does not augur well especially for those at the receivi ng end of the table; it sends the message that all 
things development are not of the ut most interest or urgency.  We expect that the round will conclude 
sooner rather than later. And, as we wait developm ental concerns must be addressed. That’s why we 
have joined the calls for some early harvest to be reaped in the area of aid for trade, for it is clear that 
market access alone is not a sufficient c ondition for growth and development.    
22. As a small vulnerable economy, we are well aware of the fact that our competitive advantage 
does not lie in competing through large scale economy.  Our strength lies in our ability to distinguish 
what we produce through quality and excellence and we have seen some very good cases of this in 
both goods and services.    
23. Our trade policy is directed at developing pr oducts for markets that possess the highest 
standards. For this to continue happening, we need to make the "necessary investments in 
infrastructure and institutions".  We are well aw are that unless we urgently address the many supply 
side constraints hindering trade, we will fail  to realize the much sought after ideal of seeing human 
development manifested through prosperity shared by all.   
24. We know only too well, the value of pursuing a mo re export-oriented strategy, but we need to 
see aid for trade in action if we are to feel the effect s of the rhetoric.  Our aid flows is best described 
as "modest" and we are very aware that "a more strategic approach could allow us to attract increased levels of financing for development".   
25. Our economic growth in real terms w as over 20%, from US$0.9 billion in 2002 to 
US$1.2 billion in 2009. Unfortunately growth in an d of its self is no gurantee to reducing poverty as 
we have found out. According to our recent Country Poverty Assessment 2009 , there has been a 10% 
increase in poverty since the conduct of the last assess ment in 2002.  A series of factors, man-made 
and otherwise, national and intern ational contributed to this increase – however, the causes of this 
social problem does nothing to soften the gravity of  the situation.  The increase in poverty is most 
unsettling as it has weighty implications for the hum an development progress and advancement of my 
country. We rightly recognize the potency of trade as the engine for reversing this poverty trend, but if 
parts of the trade engine are faulty or worse mi ssing, this unfortunate situation well blight our 
progress in the achievement of what is in our view, the most important Millennium Development Goal:  the reduction of poverty. 
26. We have already gone through several criticial learning proccesses including the need for 
trade to be mainstreamed into th e development agenda of the countr y.  We feel reasonably confident 
with this acheivement and more importantly, this e ffort has made us realize the urgency of mobilizing 
resources, both at the national and international le vel to address and remove several already identified 
productive capacity constraints (of which the greatest is access to affordable trade financing) as well 
as putting in place the requisite economic infrastructur e.  With the assistance of the Inter-American 
Development Bank, we continue the work of comp leting our aid for trade strategy which focuses on 
four broad pillars: regional integr ation and implementation of trade agreements, trade faciliation, 
sanitary and phytosanitary measures and techical regulation and standards, and of course private 
sector competitiveness.  We feel that this aid for trade strategy will provide a launchpad for increased 
donor dialogue and cooperation.  We are not a prio rity country for international donors and coupled 
with a scarcity of grant funding at the multilate ral level for middle income countries, offical 
development and AFT has been small for us. Trade rul es are important but more is needed if we are to 
reverse the downward slide into poverty.   
27. At the third Aid for Trade Global Review scheduled for January 2011, we look forward to 
sharing our experience of putting together the aid fo r trade strategy, and speak to its relevance and 
importance in helping us rema in on the development path.   WT/TPR/M/238 
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  28. This second trade policy review is most timely, it has allowed us time to pause and reflect on 
how far we have progressed with making trade an engine  of development.  It has also made us take 
stock of where we are with our many committme nts and obligations undertaken under our various 
trading arrangments.  Most importantly, it has hamm ered home the truth that there are still things we 
can do to change and improve our r eality, and that we need the assis tance of our deve lopment partners 
if we are truely to make a difference in the soci o-economic wellbeing of the citizens of Belize, of a 
fellow Member of the WTO. WT/TPR/M/238 
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  III. STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT (MR. DECLAN MORRIN (IRELAND)) 
29. Belize has a small open economy based largely on the services and agricultural sectors.  Its 
main trading partner is the U.S. Other significan t export destinations include the UK, Mexico and 
Central American countries – the latter two also bein g the source of considerable imports into Belize. 
Trade with the member of the CARICOM is mi nimal and has declined since the last TPR.  
30. The services sector is now the greatest contributor to the country’s economy. Tourism and 
financial services are the most important parts of the sector. Happily, the prognosis for tourism is 
positive and this sub-sector is benefitting from significant levels of new investment. Belize’s 
international financial services industry is also an important contributor to the economy. Experience 
elsewhere demonstrates the need to remain vigilant on  regulation and I am glad to note the efforts of 
the Belizean Government in this regard.  
31. While agricultural exports have declined since the last TPR, due in the main to preference 
erosion in major markets, exports of key products su ch as sugar, citrus, bananas and fisheries are still 
significant. The Belizean manufacturing base also rema ins heavily dependent on agricultural inputs.  
32. Belize’s export profile is changing however. This is due in no small part to the discovery of 
petroleum in 2006. This recent phenomenon accounted for 40% of to tal export earnings in 2008 and 
has been largely responsible for a three-fold in crease in trade between Belize and Central America 
over the last five years. It is to be hoped that th is sector continues to evolve. In spite of these positive 
developments, imports continued to exceed expor ts over the Review period. We look forward 
therefore to hearing of the various measures being taken by the Government of Belize to address this imbalance.  
33. Like all other WTO Members, Belize has been a ffected by the global economic crisis. It has 
also faced other significant challenges since 2004, su ch as the already mentioned preference erosion, 
fluctuating food and energy prices and major weather ev ents. It is encouraging to note in this regard 
the Secretariat’s view that Belize has significant na tural advantages and the potential to develop them 
further. It is also encouraging to note that in spite of the various challenges, annual growth rates 
averaged 2.5% between 2005 and 2009 and over the sa me period the Government deficit was reduced 
from 6.8% of GDP to 2.8% of GDP.  High unemployment and poverty rates are however of concern. Belize is committed to improving the standard of  living of its population through employment and 
wealth creation initiatives in the agriculture and servi ces sectors in particular. We are keen therefore 
to hear more of policy initiatives such as Belize’ s 2030 Vision for Development and its Medium Term 
Development Strategy. 
34. Belize is a member of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and CARICOM. It is 
the only member of CARICOM geographically situated in Central America and as such is uniquely placed to be a link between both sub-regions. It is good to note that Belize recognises the potential 
benefits of closer CARICOM-SICA relations and as the current holder of the SICA Pro-Tempore 
Presidency is keen to restart th e trade negotiations which began in  2008. CARICOM membership also 
offers Belize the as yet untapped potential to de velop new export opportunities with countries in the 
Caribbean basin who are parties to bilateral trade agreements with CARICOM.  Potential opportunities 
also exist for Belize in the context of the U.S./C aribbean Basin Initiative, CARIFORUM/EU EPA, the 
Belize-Guatemala Partial Scope Agreement
 and the evolving Trade and Development Agreement with 
Canada. We look forward to h earing of any developments. 
35. In the multilateral context, Belize has been a WTO Member since 1995. In spite of its non-
resident status it should be commended for effort s to honour its WTO commitments and to pursue 
trade liberalization. It has had a number of significant achievements, including the specific commitments in the area of market access and related border measures, notification requirements,  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 9 
 
 
  implementation of the Agreement on Subsidies a nd Countervailing Measures and implementation of 
the SPS Agreement. Such work has been helped by  technical assistance and development support. As 
regards its non-resident status, I’m sure delegations will be keen to hear of any plans for Belize to 
establish a Mission in Geneva. 
36. Like many small, open economies  Belize  is working to mainstream trade into its development 
agenda, to diversify its economy, e xpand trade and generate export-led growth.  Investment is one of 
the keys to addressing the constraints hindering such  growth. Unfortunately the Government’s ability 
to invest is restricted by limited fiscal and monetary options. The way forward therefore seems to hinge on a competitive and efficient private sector  with a focus on SMEs, and on the attraction of 
FDI. Trade policy is also an important factor here. Belize's trade regime remains similar to that in 
place at the time of its previous Trade Policy Review  in 2004. As pointed out in the Secretariat Report 
the regime can be unpredictable and can impact ne gatively on the efficiency of domestic producers 
and prices for consumers and investors. Opportunities should be explored to improve the situation in 
areas such as competition (e.g. port charges, tele communications charges), trade facilitation (e.g. 
customs procedures) and procurement.  It is not eworthy of course that there have been some 
improvements in licencing requirements and work is underway to address the Revenue Replacement 
Duty (RRD). Another key element in assisting Belize to  develop is Aid for Trade (AfT). This could be 
pivotal in alleviating bottlenecks to trade such  as access to finance on reasonable terms and 
deficiencies in trade-related infrastructure. Perhap s the delegation of Belize could update delegations 
on its AfT Strategy which is developing currently. 
37. In conclusion I would like to commend Belize for the strides it has taken on the trade policy 
front since its last Trade Policy Review in the face  of many challenges and wish it well in its ongoing 
efforts to place trade at the centre of national economic and social development.  WT/TPR/M/238 
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  IV. STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
BRAZIL 
 
38. I would like to express our satisfaction in taking part of this TPR. Being it a transparency and 
peer review exercise, it is undoubtfully useful for both the country under examination and for the rest 
of the membership.  In the case of Belize, both re ports show that even though progress has been made 
in the last years, there is much room left for further improvements concerni ng the country’s adherence 
to the multilateral rules and also in furthe ring its participation in world trade.  
39. In this context, we would like to commend th e efforts being made in order to adopt the 
document called Horizon 2030, whose guidelines, we hope , will inform all development policies to be 
adopted in the future. Brazil hopes that by mainstr eaming trade in its national development strategies, 
Belize will promote growth, bring down the poverty ra te and improve the standard of living of its 
population.  
40. We are, nevertheless, aware of the magnit ude of the challenges ahead. Belize still faces 
various supply-side constraints despite its middle-income  status.  In this context, we would also like to 
acknowledge the challenges regarding access to af fordable trade finance and the overall negative 
impact of the recent economic crisis on Belize’s econom y, in particular if we take into account the 
important contribution of tourism to the country’s  GDP. Last but not least, one should also recognize 
the devastating impact of the changing weather patterns on the country’s economy.  
41. In addition, we agree with the point made by the Government of Belize in its Report, that 
having a presence in Geneva would allow for greater  exposure and understandi ng of the functioning 
of the WTO and, as a consequence, the country would be in a position to have a more proactive role 
in this House. Brazil looks forward to the eventu al establishment of a Mission of Belize in Geneva 
and to the possibility of establishing closer c ooperation with Belizean colleagues concerning WTO 
issues.  
42. I would like to highlight three specific considera tions made by the Secretariat in its Report.  
At first, we take note of the call made at the Repor t by the Secretariat for a more transparent licensing 
system along with the need to streamline the bur densome red tape currently required for customs 
clearance. In that context, it appears to us that  efforts to introduce modern procedures for customs 
clearance would be extremely positive.  
43. Secondly, and on a more positive note, we would like to commend Belize for having reduced 
applied tariffs where they exceeded the bound rates. As far as tariffs and other charges are concerned, 
my delegation would be interested to receive mo re information on the possibility that the Revenue 
Replacement Duty and the general sales tax may in fact provide a protection for domestic production.  
We would also be grateful to receive information on  the rationale to apply a 2% environmental tax on 
all imports, since the domestic products are exempted.  
44. At last, we would like to take this opportunity to stress the need of the Government of Belize 
to improve compliance with WTO transparency provi sions. We note that in several Committees, very 
few notifications have been circulated so far. In our experience, fulfilling these obligations has a 
twofold purpose: internationally, it gives predictability  to trade partners and, domestically, it can be a 
useful means to educate national regulators. We woul d like, therefore, to invite Belize to consider 
ways on how to improve its notification records.  
45. Regarding our bilateral relations, as a genera l note, the Brazilian Government is looking 
forward to the intensification of our bilateral relatio ns in all areas in the near future. We must take 
advantage of the fact that, in 2006, Brazil opened an Embassy in Belmopan. Since then, our bilateral  WT/TPR/M/238 
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  technical cooperation has increased.  A complement ary agreement was signed by the two countries in 
January 2010, with a view to deepen our technical  cooperation on agricultura l research. The aim of 
the project is to share best practices on the cultivatio n of certain basic products. It is foreseen that the 
Brazilian Agricultural Research Cooperation (EM BRAPA) will introduce to the Belizean authorities 
our experience with the production of crops of beans, corn and rice. 
46. Besides, considering the huge production of su gar in Belize in the last years, as shown on 
Table IV.1, page 73 of the Secretariat Report, we consider that Belize should take advantage of its 
untapped potential for the production of biofuels. In that regard, Brazil would be very interested in 
strengthening our technical c ooperation on biofuels as well.  
47. A similar uplift in our bilateral relations sha ll be reproduced in the trade area, since our 
bilateral trade is still very modest. In 2009, our exports to Belize amounted to over US$4 million and 
our imports reached only US$294,000. This may be explai ned, in part, by the fact that Belize’s main 
export products are in fact produced in Brazil. We  are willing, nevertheless, to consider how our 
bilateral trade could be improved in the coming years.  
UNITED STATES 
48. Belize is a valued hemispheric partner of the United States.  The United States is Belize’s 
largest trading partner, a major source of investme nt funds, and its largest provider of economic and 
military assistance.  Approximately 5,000 American c itizens live in Belize, almost a million visits 
annually, and the United States is home to the largest Belizean community outside Belize. 
49. As Belize’s largest trading partner, the Unite d States’ commercial relationship with that 
country remains vibrant.  Our total two-way goods trade grew steadily during the second half of the 
last decade.  It reached US$499 million in 2008, before dropping to US$354 million last year.  In 
2009, U.S. goods exports to Beli ze were US$247 million and U.S. goods imports from that country 
totalled US$107 million.  Approximately 65% of tota l imports from Belize en ter the United States 
duty free under the Caribbean Basin Initiative.  We encourage Belize to utilize this program to the 
greatest extent possible. 
50. As both the report from the Secretariat and the Government of Belize note, agriculture 
continues to play an important role in the econo my.  The sector contributes 18.1% to GDP and is 
responsible for 25.8% of employment.  According to  the government report, four traditional exports, 
namely, sugar, citrus, shrimp, and bananas, account for 57% of total exports.  Although this figure has 
dropped from 87.7% in 2004, we encourage Belize to c ontinue its work to dive rsify its exports as well 
as its economy. 
51. We look forward to learning more about Belize’ s efforts to diversify its economy, and we 
welcome the government’s thoughts about the potentia l for Belize’s economic growth in areas of 
identifiable advantages.  For example, tourism holds  excellent prospects since, as the Secretariat 
suggests, Belize has significant natural advantages - the world's second largest coral reef, unspoiled 
forests, and ancient ruins - and is only a short flight from some major tourist markets.  And, many 
Belizeans are fluent in both English and Spanish, wh ich, in light of Belize’s geographical location, is 
an added advantage.  The Secretariat report also  highlights other assets, such as Belize’s untapped 
productive agricultural land.  Given the importance of agriculture to the economy, Belize may consider additional steps to diversify this sector. 
52. We also hope to hear more about the government’ s efforts to attract additional investment and 
maintain economic growth.  We encourage Belize to  improve its business climate in order to enhance 
its international competitiveness.  The World Bank’s Doing Business
 report, for example, cites areas 
in which the business environment is not conducive to investment and entrepreneurial activity.  For WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 12  
 
  example, the report cited the cost and length of tim e required to open a business, and the difficulty of 
enforcing contracts.   Creating the policy conditions for private sector interests to invest in trade, 
including trade-related infrastructure, can be enor mously helpful to Belize’s economic pursuits.  We 
hope to hear more in this review about Belize’s plan s to address these types of issues.  In addition, we 
would be interested in learning more about Belize’s efforts to attract new foreign direct investment, 
specifically protections for investors, including respect for the decisions of arbitral bodies.  We 
believe that such protections are crucial for creating an environment conducive to investment.  Strong 
protection for intellectual property rights helps attr act investment, and we look forward to learning 
more about Belize’s national enforcement strategy for intellectual property in the course of this 
review.  
53. As this body is well aware, the United States champions the WTO’s work on trade 
facilitation, which holds such promise for developing country Members.  As the Secretariat suggests, 
improvements in trade facilitation hold the promis e for boosting Belize’s trade performance.  We 
encourage Belize to continue to pursue its cust oms reforms that will allow for the electronic 
submission of customs documentation.  We hope, too, that the foreseen creation in Belize of a 
Customs Tariff Board to deal with valuation and cl assification disputes will give rise to an improved 
structure for dispute resolution.  We will be interest ed to know the status of the government’s efforts 
in this regard.  
54. We have submitted some questions about specifi c issues regarding Belize’s trade regime, and 
we look forward to reviewing and discussing your government’s responses.  From a WTO 
institutional perspective, the United States hopes that  Belize’s authorities will pay more attention to 
the rules in some important areas of the government’s  trade policy.  For example, the Secretariat’s 
Report notes that Belize has not submitted notifications in a number of areas that the WTO Agreements require.  We are disappointed to note that Belize has made no notifications to the TBT 
Committee, has not submitted its statement on the implementation and administration of the TBT 
Agreement, and has not notified the adoption of the Agreement's Code of Good Practice for the 
Preparation, Adoption and Application of Sta ndards by the Belize Bureau of Standards. 
Understandably, we would like to know when Beli ze will fulfil these requirements.  We hope that 
Belize will review the bidding on its WTO commit ments and will take the necessary steps to address 
our concerns. 
55. I would highlight, too, U.S. concerns about Beli ze's main border protection tools, in particular 
its tariffs and its non-automatic import licensing system which it applies mainly to agricultural 
products and processed foods.  We are concerned not only as a matter of our own self-interest, but 
especially as a matter for Belize’s trade and deve lopment objectives. We would urge Belize to 
consider that the significant binding overha ng between applied and bound tariffs, as well as the 
apparently arbitrary and non-transparent nature of  the licensing system, make Belize's trading regime, 
as the Secretariat states, "less predictable". These policies also have consequences for the domestic 
manufacturing industries that require access to av ailable or affordable inputs for competitive 
production. 
56. The United States will continue to work with  Belize and the other CARICOM members to 
strengthen and deepen our relationship. We believe  that developing countries such as Belize have 
much to gain from a balanced and ambitious result in the Doha negotiations that include meaningful 
new market access for all.  A resu lt that includes new market access in services, industrial goods and 
agriculture could further enhance opportunities fo r Belize to broaden its export base, its export 
markets and hence Belize’s opportunity to diversif y.  The United States looks forward to working 
with Belize and the other members of CARICO M toward bringing the round to a successful 
conclusion. And we offer all good wishes to your  government for a successful Trade Policy Review.  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 13 
 
 
  CANADA 
57. Canada has a solid relationship with Belize, wh ich is constantly growing stronger.  Canada 
recognizes that Belize was adversely affected by the worldwide economic recession and by natural 
disasters.  Canada also wishes further to strengt hen its ties with Belize on the basis of our trade 
relationship. 
58. Canada welcomes the fact that, since the l ast Trade Policy Review in 2004, Belize has 
withdrawn the licensing requirements for certain produc ts, paving the way for trade facilitation.  In 
addition, even though the global economic crisis has slowed Belize's economic performance during 
this period, we are pleased to note that the c ountry continues to see growth in this field. 
59. The Report produced by the Secretariat highli ghts a number of positive developments related 
to Belize’s efforts to modernize its economy.  Belize  has few barriers to investment, and is making 
efforts to increase and diversify trade and invest ment.  On the forefront of international trade 
agreements, Canada is pleased to be negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with Belize as member of 
CARICOM and remains committed to concluding negotiations.  While the main source of imports are 
other countries in the region, specifically the Unite d States and other Central and Caribbean nations, 
this type of negotiation illustrates Beliz e’s initiatives towards diversification. 
60. That said, there are always opportunities for further improvement.  As pointed out in the 
Secretariat’s Report, the stability of Belize’s ec onomy could be enhanced through trade policy and 
trade policy related reforms, supported by targeted ai d for trade assistance.  Fo r instance, in the cross-
border transfer of goods, there is overlap between  applied and bound tariffs, as well as a need for 
increased transparency in Belize’s licensing system.  There also appears to be room for improvement 
in tax reform and trade facilitation.  Improvements in these areas could assist in the growth of key 
industries, including the development of the crude o il industry, natural resources, and reforming the 
tourism and service sectors.  
61. In conclusion, Canada would like to express its  support for Belize’s economic diversification 
and growth achieved since the last Review in 2004.   
JAPAN 
62. Belize’s annual average real GDP growth rate  has been more than 5% between 2002-2006, 
due to the sound development of its service sector and its export of agricu ltural products and crude 
oil. However, after the cuts in government spe nding and due to the globa l financial and economic 
crisis, Belize’s growth rate has decreased sharply. Th is growth rate is expect ed to be only 2% for 2010 
as the country is experiencing reduced domestic c onsumption and sharp decrease in foreign direct 
investment.  
63. Japan notes that the obstacles to the developmen t of Belize include the deficiencies in the 
trade-related infrastructure, the lack of competiti on law, and the limited market access in some parts 
of the service sector, including the tourism sector . Japan hopes that the Belizean government will 
address these issues. In relation to this, Japan al so appreciates that Belize is taking the necessary 
measures for regional economic integration, including introducing the CARICOM model of 
competition legislation as a part of the obligations under the CARICOM Treaty. Japan is confident 
that these efforts will contribute to the further de velopment of Belize’s economy with positive effects 
on FDI and domestic consumption.  WT/TPR/M/238 
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  MEXICO 
64. Belize faces a number of economic challenges.  Its monetary and fiscal policy is constrained 
by an exchange rate which remains pegged to th e United States dollar and by the limited options for 
external financing.  Consequently, the developmen t of competitiveness in the private sector is crucial 
to its growth. 
65. Belize has also, like other countries, experienced the effects of the global economic crisis and, 
like many small and vulnerable economies in Cent ral America and the Caribbean, its economy has 
been affected by reduced inflows of foreign direct  investment, a decline in remittances and a fall in 
tourist stays.  Despite these adve rse circumstances, the Belizean econom y is expected to return to the 
path of growth in 2010, which is gratifying.  It  is necessary for the Government of Belize to give 
renewed impetus to economic growth, because jobs mu st be created so that the 13 per cent of the 
active population that lacks a source of income can be  integrated into the labour market.  Both the 
delegation of Belize, in its comments, and other dele gations have also pointed out that, in addition to 
the challenges faced by Belize, it also has importa nt comparative advantages and other assets which - 
we trust - it will use and optimize to strengthen its economy and integrate as efficiently as possible 
into the multilateral trading system. 
66. Mexico and Belize share a land and maritime borde r in one of the most picturesque parts of 
the Caribbean Sea.  Trade relations between the two countries have strengt hened of late, and as a 
result Mexico in 2008 became the third largest supplier of Belize on the American continent, 
surpassed only by the United States and the Netherlands  Antilles.  As is stated in the report, Mexico 
supplies manufactured goods that are imported into Belize through the free zone situated on our 
common border. 
67. In the area of trade policy, Belize faces a number of challenges if it is to increase its trade 
volumes.  One such challenge is the establishment of trade facilitation measures so that its customs 
procedures, which are currently effected manually, can  be automated and effected electronically.  As 
is noted in the report, action is being taken on th is subject, and we are sure that the Government 
of Belize will do everything in its power to enha nce the efficiency of its customs procedures.  
Its non-automatic import licences, applied mainly to agricultural products, also need to be made 
subject to a more transparent and non-arbitrary process that contributes to the development of a predictable trade regime for the private sector. 
68. Another important measure that would substa ntially benefit the Belizean economy is the 
strengthening of its regulatory framework in respect  of telecommunications and other services, since 
the private sector faces high port fees and high telecommunications service tariffs.  Furthermore, and 
as is noted in the report, the adoption of a compe tition policy would be a key factor in strengthening 
the Belizean economy. 
TURKEY 
69. According to the Secretariat’s Report, Belize is gi ving an increasing role to trade as an engine 
of economic development within the framework of  its long term economic plan, Horizon 2030.  
However, it seems that there is still a need to stre amline and simplify trade and investment regime in 
certain areas despite the existence of an open trade regime.  In this  respect, we welcome the initiatives 
to establish an automated customs processing system, and a Customs Tariff Board.  However, we also hope that in line with the long term strategy of Horizon 2030, Belize will also take the necessary steps 
for increasing transparency particularly with regard to its non automatic licensing system. 
70. Given the high number of people living under th e poverty line in Belize, we understand the 
need to provide a favorable protected environment to domestic producers in several fields.  In the  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 15 
 
 
  meantime, it is also important to consider that dismantling of trade barriers may help attracting the 
necessary additional resources in several sectors like  agriculture and tourism industries, the main 
growth industries, and support di versification of the economic stru cture.  Introduction of additional 
foreign competition into the economy will improve efficiency in many sectors.    
EUROPEAN UNION 
71. The EU has been and is one of the main trading partners of Belize. At the time of the last 
Trade Policy Review of Belize in 2004, the CA RIFORUM-EU Economic Pa rtnership Agreement 
negotiations were ongoing; today negotiations are fi nished and the Agreement is signed and applied. 
This allows also Belize, who actively par ticipated in the negotiations, to benefit, inter alia, from duty-
free-quota-free (DFQF) market ac cess into the EU for all CARI FORUM products as well as of 
considerable new market access in the EU services sectors. 
72. Let me recall here that at the centre of  the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership 
Agreement is the creation of an integrated regiona l market in the Caribbean. This will ensure free 
flow of goods and services across the Caribbean and create economies of scale to make the region more attractive for traders and investors.  
73. The EU is pleased to be supporting the creation of  this regional market through a considerable 
programme for the Caribbean which amounts to  € 165 million for 2008-2013. Among many other 
things, this funding helps to implement the EPAs,  to build business development strategies, and to 
assist in the reform of the taxation system of the CARIFORUM countries. 
74. In addition we work with Belize on a nationa l concentrated on Rural Development, while 
Belize also received a total of € 50 million for the period of 2006-2010 Suga r Protocol Countries to 
improve the efficiency of cane production and processing, as well as promoting economic 
diversification.   
75. In this regard, I would especially like to highlight one very important and positive aspect – 
both Reports note that Belize's export base has wide ned and become more diversified, not only 
because of the start of oil production in 2006, but ma inly because of the Government's initialisation of 
the process of diversifying away from traditional agricultural products, sugar being one. Belize is 
therefore making considerable and successful effo rts to support economic growth through trade, 
including integrating trade into its medium and long-term national developm ent plans. As Belize's 
principal Aid for Trade donor, we are happy to be participating in this successful effort. 
76. Let me now turn to some more specific points. We learn from the Reports that since Belize's 
last TPR, the global financial cris is and exogenous shocks had a negative impact to Belize's economy. 
However, the Reports do not elaborate on what Beli ze has done or is currently doing to address the 
global economic downturn or whether Belize has put in place precautionary measures to prevent weather-related disasters from damaging the economy and sensitive sectors. Could Belize elaborate on these subjects? 
77. At the last Trade Policy Review of Belize in 2004, the EU highlighted a number of issues 
where we sought or proposed improvements to Beli ze's trade regime. Some of the issues were: the 
need to develop further the financial, telecom, transport and electricity sectors – these being crucial 
sectors for laying and improving exis ting foundations for economic deve lopment. We also highlighted 
the need for the continuation of domestic reform on market-opening, privatisation, less government 
interference, and CARICOM-related effort s to establish competition legislation. 
78. Coming back to some of these matters today, based on the Secretariat's Report we draw the 
conclusion that the Government still could focu s more on developing a nd supporting a competitive WT/TPR/M/238 
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  and efficient private sector. The Secretariat report no tes that there have been no privatizations since 
2004 and that telecom and utilities sectors, where ther e are a limited number of players, should be 
more effectively regulated to reduce the negative imp act of market concentration in a small economy.  
79. There is also room to improve the customs systems, make customs valuation and import 
licensing systems more predictable and transparent; and also there is also scope for further tax reform 
and simplification. 
80. On the competition legislation the EU is happy  to learn that the authorities are actively 
considering how to apply model CARICOM competiti on legislation, and that a national competition 
bill is expected to be presented to Parliament in early 2011.  We  also note that Belize has adopted 
important legislation since its last TPR in 2004. The Finance and Audit (Reform) Act, adopted in 
2005, inter alia sets out new rules on government procurem ent and repeals previous legislation. 
However, the experience of decentralized procurem ent decision-making has not been wholly positive, 
and that the authorities are currently considerin g the possibility to re-establish a centralized 
government procurement system. We encourage the Government of Belize to duly implement the 
legislation. 
81. There are other encouraging steps Belize has take n since the last review to make the overall 
environment of the trade regimes more efficient. The overall objective remains to facilitate trade, 
increase investments, ensure clear and concise competition rules, and strengthening government procurement and administrative capacity. These are impor tant steps, and further steps should be taken 
with a view to enhance transparency and predictability. 
82. The EU remains confident that at the next TPR of Belize we will be able to see further 
progress, since - as recognised by Belize - trade is an  important and efficient instrument for advancing 
economic and social prosperity. 
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 
83. As a member of the Caribbean Community, Tr inidad and Tobago and Belize share a close 
trading relationship and my delegation is pleased to  note the many positive developments achieved by 
the Government of Belize since its first review in 2005, namely the increase in the economy’s GDP, 
an improvement in its fiscal operations, diversifi cation and expansion of the export base and greater 
activity in the tourism and financial services sector. 
84. Although Belize has been an active participant in the CARICOM regional integration process, 
we note that in the wake the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market since 1 January 2006, 
the country has suffered some ill effects. Noneth eless, my delegation is appreciative of Belize’s 
efforts towards the complete liberalization of its  economy in the specific context of the CARICOM 
Single Market and Economy and also of the ongoi ng process for its deeper integration into the 
multilateral trading system under the aegis of the WTO. 
85. Despite being a small, open and vulnerable ec onomy with a population of 330,000 people, my 
delegation is pleased to observe that the potential for growth in Belize is being realized to the benefit 
of its citizens, and that diversification efforts are reaping rewards that include a rise in the country’s 
GDP and export earnings and reduced depe ndency on a small basket of exports. 
86. The discovery of crude oil in 2006 was also  a well-timed boon which no doubt assisted the 
economy to weather the recent economic crisis. As Belize continues to explore and invest in its 
energy sector, it has judiciously maintained the development and expansi on of its non-energy 
industries. Petro-dollars may certainly ease the st rain on the current account, but Belize has wise  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 17 
 
 
  intentions of channeling those revenues into cap ital projects and infrastructure development to 
encourage and support industries such as the agro-processing and cruise tourism sectors. 
87. Belize’s commitment to the Millennium Deve lopment Goals is a positive approach to 
improving the quality of life for its citizens and while this will have a long-term effect in eradicating 
poverty, in the short and medium term strengthene d engagement in multilateral trade will assist in 
raising living standards with th e attendant welfare benefits. 
88. This is why my delegation is very pleased th at the WTO Secretariat selected Belize as a pilot 
case for integrating the Aid for Trade national review  into the trade policy review.  My delegation 
agrees that mainstreaming trade across national deve lopment strategies will achieve synergies in the 
disbursement and application of aid for trad e funds. However we commiserate with Belize’s 
disadvantaged situation of not qualifying for gr ant or concessionary financing from international 
financial institutions and regiona l development banks because of its status as a Middle-Income 
Country, which is a somewhat punitive measure that  does not seem to take on board the vulnerability 
issue. 
89. Nonetheless, Belize’s long term national pl an, Horizon 2030, and its medium term 
development strategy for 2010-2013 have taken the holistic mainstr eaming of trade approach to 
address its economic growth objectives, which should send positive signals to potential investors and 
attract foreign investment to a country that is currently ranked very highly for its ease in doing 
business and ease of tax payment. 
90. My delegation takes note of th e positive outlook by the Secretariat, which anticipates positive 
growth in 2010, expansion of the energy sector, rec overy of the agriculture sector and more buoyancy 
in consumer spending and tourism. In this rega rd, my delegation encourages Belize to maximize the 
benefits to be derived in the future, for the improve ment of the standard of living of its citizens. 
BARBADOS 
91. The Belize delegation’s presence here this week is all the more noteworthy in light of the 
recent passage of Hurricane Richar d and the destruction it has wrought. My delegation expresses its 
sympathy to and solidarity with the Government and people of Belize as they recover from yet 
another natural disaster. We appreciate the sim ilar words of support expressed by our Belizean 
colleagues this morning in the wake of the Eastern Caribbean’s own brush with Tropical Storm and Hurricane Tomas this weekend, which have allowe d us a first-hand understanding of this difficult 
situation. 
92. These events, while an unfortuna te and inescapable reality of our region, underscore the 
nature of the daunting challenges faced by the small, vulnerable economies of the Caribbean. As one 
of our sister states in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) integration process, Barbados fully appreciates the range of factors that  shape Belize’s efforts to promote its social and 
economic development through pa rticipation in the multilateral trading system. We therefore 
commend Belize for their resilience in the face of continuing difficulties. 
93. Since the last Review in 2004, a combination of  external conditions and events including the 
erosion of preferences, volatile commodity and en ergy prices, the effects of climate change and 
natural disasters, and the recent global economic crisis  have all contributed a negative impact to the 
Belizean economy and an increase in the poverty ra te. In spite of these developments, economic 
growth has been positive, but modest, registering an annual average rate of 2.5% during 2005-2009. 
Growth was however stalled in 2009 as a result of the global crisis and weather related events. It is 
noted that renewed growth of about 2% is expected for this year.  WT/TPR/M/238 
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  94. Both the Government and Secretariat Reports record the complexities associated with the 
fiscal management of small, open economies, where po licy options are often seve rely constrained, in 
this case, as a result of unsustainable debt levels  and reduced Government revenue as a result of the 
global crisis.  
95. Trade nevertheless remains a vital element of Belize’s GDP, the significance of which may be 
registered in the ratio of imports plus exports  of goods and services, at well over 100% of GDP.  
During the review period, important efforts have b een made by the government to diversify Belize’s 
export base, including through expansion in the to urism sector and extraction of petroleum. We 
encourage further efforts for diversification a nd focus on higher value added niche manufacturing 
activities, as highlighted in the government report.  
96. Barbados enjoys close relations with Belize, stemming from our regional integration process, 
where Belize’s specific economic and tr ade related constraints are recognised . In addition to the 
various regional bilateral free trade agreements to which Belize is party, including the CARIFORUM-
EU Economic Partnership Agreemen t (EPA) and other longstanding tr ading arrangements, Belize has 
been actively pursuing bilateral trading opport unities with a number of its Central American 
neighbours. 
97. Belize’s geographic location in Central America h as made the latter destination a logical and 
relevant channel for new trade expa nsion and we note the dramatic increase in trade by more than 
300% over the last five years. Through the CARICO M/Central American Integration System (SICA) 
process, Barbados recognises the potential facilitating role that Belize can play in fostering closer 
relations between the two regions, particularly in view of Belize’s current SICA Pro Tempore 
presidency.  
98. Since 2004, notable reforms undertaken by the Belizean government include a Customs 
modernisation project and new legislation on govern ment procurement. We also note and support the 
initiatives to strengthen the services sector throu gh the recent creation of the Belize Coalition of 
Services Providers and the launching of the project  "Export Professional Services from Belize". With 
respect to the financial services sector, key legi slative measures have been enacted to seek to 
strengthen the regulatory framework of the offshore sect or.  It is vital that such steps be recognised 
and adequately supported at the in ternational level, rather than be ing undermined within the context 
highlighted in the Government Report. 
99. Belize is to be commended for its concerted and forward looking efforts to mainstream trade 
into its development agenda, including through a number of sector specific plans and projects and 
medium to long-term policy frameworks, such as  the Medium Term Deve lopment Strategy and 
Horizon 2030 under development. These are im portant policy platforms through which major 
structural and capacity constraints, such as lack of access to export finance, limited supply capacity 
and inadequate infrastructure, among other ch allenges may be identified and addressed.   
100. In addition to these policy frameworks, the Beli ze government, assisted by the Inter American 
Development Bank (IADB) has embarked on the deve lopment of a national Aid for Trade strategy 
based on four  main pillars-SPS and TBT measur es, Regional Integration and Implementation of 
Trade Agreements, Private Sector  Competitiveness and Trade Facilitation. Barbados supports the 
Secretariat’s recommendations that the national aid fo r trade strategy be mainstreamed within Horizon 
2030, and urges that Belize’s request  for active resource mobilisation be acted upon in a timely and 
sustainable manner. Adequate and sustained trad e related support for middle-income countries like 
Belize is critical in consolidating and building on ex isting development gains, lest the marked increase 
in poverty levels between 2002 and 2009, widen even further.    WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 19 
 
 
  101. As a non-resident delegation with the attendant challenges, Belize’s participation in the Doha 
negotiations and regular WTO committee work is limite d. However, its efforts to fulfill its obligations 
are evident, and its views are nevertheless repres ented through many of the articulated positions of 
CARICOM, Small Vulnerable Economies (SVEs), the G33 and the ACP.   
102. We do hope that the conditions that contribute to  Belize’s participation in this House may be 
taken into account by Members as Belize seeks to  realize effective and sustainable trade and 
development solutions towards their fuller inte gration into the multilateral trading system. 
JAMAICA 
103. Since the last TPR in 2004, certain global developments have had a significant effect on the 
performance of the Belizean economy.  As a small,  open developing economy, Belize was constantly 
faced with new and daunting challenges through the cumulative effects of the country’s high 
vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters,  small size and its attendant inherent constraints 
and the many exogenous factors, including the impact of the global financial and economic crises.  As 
a result, the Belizean economy realized modest  annual GDP growth during 2005-09 with growth 
stalling in 2009;  there were declines in rem ittances and investment as well as in the productive 
sectors, especially agriculture which suffered the eff ects of three natural disasters.  According to the 
Secretariat Report, Belize’s economy is expected to return to growth this year led by continued 
expansion in crude oil extraction and recovery in key sectors but that this growth may be weak.  
Despite reports that there is recovery in the global economy, experience from past crises has shown 
that recovery, especially in small developing economies,  will be slow and protracted and the impact of 
the global economic downturn on these countri es will be felt for some time to come. 
104. The Belizean authorities point out that trade is  instrumental in advancing the economic and 
social prosperity of the country and that his objectiv e can be achieved through greater integration into 
the global economy.  Notwithstanding the challeng es Belize currently faces, it remains committed to 
this ideal.  The Government is currently fina lizing the policy framework that will facilitate a 
comprehensive structural reform programme desi gned to establish the conditions for macro-economic 
stability, sustainable growth and further integration into the multilateral trading system.  The Medium 
Term Development Strategy (MTES), Horizon 2030,  the National Export Strategy (NES) and other 
sector-specific plans and initiatives will serve to mainstream trade into the country’s overall 
development agenda.  These will provide the frame work within which the authorities will seek to 
address issues relating to, among others, fiscal conso lidation, economic diversification, supply-side 
constraints and the expansion of key sectors, su ch as tourism and the non-traditional agricultural 
sector which exhibit great potential for further growth .  This reform programme will rely heavily on 
the mobilization of external resources to sustain it on  a stable and predictable basis.  Aid for Trade 
will therefore play a key element in facilitating Beli ze’s reforms.  This point is emphasized in both 
reports.  Belize is currently working with the In ter-American Development Bank (IDB) to finalize its 
national Aid for Trade strategy document in wh ich it will identify its trade-related needs and 
priorities.  Jamaica supports the call by Belize for sustained bilateral and multilateral donor support, 
particularly given its high debt servicing burden an d the fact that its middle income status has not 
always enabled it to access grant funding and financing. 
105. Jamaica commends Belize in its efforts to m eet its WTO obligations.  Belize’s ability to 
participate effectively in the WTO work progra mme, including the negotiations, has been limited 
given its status as a non-resident WTO Member.  However, Belize has been able to participate 
indirectly through the proposals submitted by the ACP, SVE and G-33 Groups in different areas under 
negotiation, such as agriculture, NAMA and services.  Like other developing countries, Belize shares the view that the WTO must respond to the inter ests and concerns of its membership, including the 
small, vulnerable among them.  In this regard, th e development dimension of the DDA negotiations 
must be duly addressed and must form an integr al part of the outcome of the negotiations. WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 20  
 
  106. As indicated in both Reports, increased regiona l and bilateral trade is central to Belize’s 
development.  The authorities continue to support act ively an agenda for effective regional integration 
within the context of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and strengthening and consolidating trade relations with traditional and non-traditional trading partners.  This includes the 
EU under the EU-CARIFORUM EP A, the U.S. under the CBI;  Canada under CARIBCAN;  and 
CARICOM trade agreements with certain Latin Amer ican countries.  Belize also has a partial scope 
agreement with Guatemala.  It is noted from th e Government Report that trade between Belize and 
Central America has increased by more than 300% ove r the last five years.  The expansion of trade 
relations with its neighbouring Central American countries should lead to export market 
diversification thereby reducing export market dependency and concentration. 
SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU 
107. This review provides a valuable opportunity for us to take a fresh new look at the recent 
economic and trade development in Belize.  First of all, we would like to share our appreciation to the 
efforts of the government to promote the liberali zation of its economy and the integration into the 
multilateral trading system.  We encourage Belize to  promote and safeguard its economic and social 
interests within the framework of the rule-based system of the WTO. 
108. We also note that Belize faces several deve lopment challenges and the Government is 
committed to improving the standard of living of its  population, and has signed on to the Millennium 
Developments goals.  We believe that Aid for Trade could have a significant role to play in assisting 
Belize to achieve its development goals such as th e gradual reduction and eventual eradication of 
poverty.  Since we have the similar meteorological environment, the agriculture sector suffers from 
the added effects of frequently changing weather patterns.  The damage and dislocations caused by 
tropical storms or typhoons affect agriculture produc tion and infrastructure.  We would like to assist 
Belize in this regard by sharing our experien ces and identifying the area to expand development 
opportunities. 
INDIA 
109. Belize with a GDP of US$1.352 billion and per capita income US$8,300 is a middle-income 
country, and it has made considerable  economic progress since independence. 
110. We have noted that manufacturing remains low at 16.9%, the main industries being: 
garments, food processing, furniture, and chemicals.  It is no longer an economy dominated by plantations, yet it is dependent considerably on ag riculture with contribution to GDP at 29%.  Main 
crops and agricultural produce do not undergo much va lue addition.  Services sector is predominant, 
with about 54% of GDP; tourism is an important  component. It is observed that the related 
infrastructure remains underdeveloped. The IMF ha s last month reported that the Belizean economy 
in the past two years has been vulnerable to adve rse shocks mainly because of a weak external 
position, policy rigidities, and reduced access to exte rnal financing. Since 2006, growth has been 
lackluster. Honourable PM Barrow had in his in dependence speech admitted that even though 
economy is back on a growth path, unemployment is s till too high. It would be useful to have details 
of Belize’s plans to address these challenges.  
111. The recent Hurricane Richard which pummeled Be lize has left substantial wreckage in its 
path, with US$32 million in damages to the citrus i ndustry, 831 homes either partially or completely 
damaged as reported in the Belizean media. We urge  the development partners of Belize to assist the 
country with generosity.  
112. India-Belize relations go back to about the post- war period of decolonization.  Our countries 
enjoy cordial and friendly relationshi p. Firm foundations for a democra tic polity, a diverse, pluralistic  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 21 
 
 
  society, characterises India-Belize relations. The rece nt trends in bilateral trade are positive, and the 
growth significant.  Belize’s exports to India co mprise mainly miscellaneous chemicals, and Indian 
exports are mainly textiles, organic chemi cals, pharmaceuticals, and engineering goods. 
113. India-SICA (el Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana)  Initiative has been a useful 
platform to discuss cooperation in a wide range of issues.   A Business Foru m has been set up and it 
has decided that efforts should be made to double I ndia-SICA trade in three years.  India has also 
announced a line of credit of US$80 million to the SICA countries including US$10 million to Belize, 
either for country-specific or joint SICA projects.  India has been providing ITEC training slots to 
Belize since 1995.  We request the Government of Belize to fully avail these human resource 
development opportunities offered by India.  
114. My delegation has not posed any question to the delegation of Belize. However, we have been 
informed that the visa fee for Indian nationals w ho wish to visit Belize is very high (US$250 for a 
single entry visa, multiple entry visas are not issued ). Indian nationals, including trade delegations, 
occasionally experience difficulty in obtaining Belizean visas. These measures naturally have a 
deterrent effect on the promotion of trade and econom ic linkages, cultural interactions and people to 
people contacts. We request the Government of Beliz e to review the issue to address this impediment 
in further development of  bilateral relations.  
HAITI 
115. In spite of the impact of the international fi nancial crises has affected Belize, the economic 
growth has remained relatively positive (30%) thanks  to the increase of 3% of its oil production, and 
also the improvement in the crop harvest which had been seriously affected by floods in 2008.  The 
harvest of sugar and papaya has compensated the reduction of the production of oranges, grapefruits 
and bananas.  Among the export produc ts, the citrus were affected by a parasitical epidemic as well as 
the decrease of the United States’ demand.  In flation decreased from 4.5% to 2.7% and the 
unemployment rate has remained at 8%.   
116. In spite of a campaign to promote tourism, the nu mber of tourists has decreased by 10%;  the 
worsening of the crises in the United States, where mo st tourists have been coming from, also slowed 
down this sector.  The economy of Belize remains vulne rable due to its high external debt (71% of 
GDP).  
117. Belize does not have a Permanent Mission in Geneva and therefore it cannot always 
participate fully in all WTO meetings.  Even th ough, it has been active in the DDA negotiations and 
in various sectors, also working within the AC P groups and the CARICOM countries which are very 
active in Geneva. WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 22  
 
  V. REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF BELIZE AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS 
118. My intervention will address three themes:  Ec onomic and institutional environment;  Trade 
policies;  and Sectors. 
THEME I – ECONOMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT 
119. The Economic and institutional environment of Be lize is similar to that of many other WTO 
Members in certain respects, but unlike others our  peculiar circumstances are defined by the small 
vulnerable nature of our economy and small community  and people of no more than a mere 330,000. 
120. No country has been spared from the contagion e ffects of the financial crisis.  In Belize this 
has manifested itself in the general dampening of economic activity precipitating a recession during 
the first half of 2009 and revers ing economic gains which had steadily accrued in the preceding years. 
121. Mirroring the economic downturn, the growth in broad money supply slowed with lending to 
the private sector registering its smallest incr ease in 17 years, amounting to only 4.1% in 2009 
compared to 10.6% in 2008.  Concomitantly, unemp loyment rose substantially as expansion in the 
labour force outpaced growth in jobs. 
122. The crisis placed tremendous pressure on Gove rnment to stimulate the economy through 
increased domestic spending.  This was made possibl e through an increase in taxation, to facilitate 
increased revenues and a reduction in the overall deficit. 
123. Although during the first half of 2010 the business environment remained relatively sluggish, 
given the uncertain international climate, the econom y is slowly beginning to demonstrate signs of 
recovery.  Real GDP increased during the first half  of the year, largely in response to the small 
recovery in tourism and government services.  Th is notwithstanding access to external financing 
remains tight for many export oriented companies and has resulted in the foreclosure of several 
entities. 
124. In what is becoming an increasingly globalized world, Belize recognizes that balancing 
economic growth and the integration of trade po licy into macroeconomic and development policy-
setting is key to achieving sustained economic expa nsion.  The critical elements of our strategic 
development thrust are outlined in the Governme nt’s Medium-Term Devel opment Strategy 2010-13.  
Expanding trade and generating exports are seen as key drivers of economic growth and development 
over the next three years. 
125. The finalization and implementation of the dr aft National Export Strategy will provide a 
platform for substantively expanding exports and divers ifying export markets.  In this regard, funding 
is currently being actively sought for the completion of the Strategy. 
126. Central to the Medium-Term Development Strategy is a framework for an aggressive 
approach to supporting small and medium sized en terprises and investors.  To this end, policy-
intervention will focus on enterprise development to  support the continued development of traditional 
and emerging industries and expansion of smal l and medium micro-enterprises.  Essentially, 
supporting the entrepreneurial spirit is seen as bei ng critical to creating sustainable employment and 
reducing the already high unemployment.  Programm es and incentives targeting businesses directly, 
marketing and channelling investment flows to ar eas of comparative advantage are central to the 
success of SMEs, other support measures include the establishment of a sustainable SME financing mechanism.  Here, the Development Finance Corpor ation, the Credit Unions and various NGOs are 
the main intermediaries of for channelling such resources.  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 23 
 
 
  127. Priority sectors earmarked in the Medium-T erm Development Strategy, for growth and 
targeted support include:  (i) agro-processing;  (i i) aquaculture;  (iii) environmental goods and 
services;  (iv) information and communication technologies;  and (v) tourism.  Further, recent analyses have identified downstream petrochemical industries and financial services as other areas for 
growth focus.  In an effort to increase overall pr oductive efficiency the Government of Belize is also 
investing in further public sector institutiona l strengthening and impr oving transportation and 
communication infrastructure. 
128. Belize’s peculiar Aid for Trade needs have invari ably instructed our strategy, which is built 
on four main pillars:  (i) regional integration and implementation of trade agreements;  (ii) trade 
facilitation;  (iii) sanitary and phytosanitary measures,  technical regulations and standards;  and (iv) 
private sector competitiveness.  The interventions identified under these p illars seek to address 
institutional and supply-side capacity constr aints, competitiveness, productivity, export 
diversification, infrastructure support, and tr ade financing on reasona ble terms and regional 
integration.  It is envisaged that the pending Aid for Trade Strategy will be used to engage donors and 
will be mainstreamed into ge neral macroeconomic policy. 
129. The urgency of securing the requisite developm ent funding, which would give action to Aid 
for Trade, cannot be overemphasized.  The fact is  our trade continues to be precariously built on a 
narrow base of commodities destined for a few mark ets.  Clearly, while trade agreements, whether 
partial or full – PSA or FTA – provide a necessary vehicle for increased trade, by themselves they are 
not necessarily sufficient to guarantee trade expansion and welfare gains. 
130. Accordingly, there should be a dedicated focus by the donor community to put in place the 
"sufficient conditions" that will stimulate production, increase domestic competitiveness and 
productivity, and facilitate increased trade.  The impact of unbalanced global technological progress 
and infrastructural development should also not be underestimated.  A co mbination of exogenous 
factors such as the erosion of preferences and na tural disasters collectively make AfT critical in 
addressing supply side-capacity constraints wh ich would transform production and increase 
competitiveness, allowing small, vulnerable economies su ch as Belize to begin to reap their fair share 
of the gains achieved through globalization. 
131. Accordingly, distinct points of AfT interventi on for Belize include:  Customs modernization:  
implementation of ASYCUDA (an area where we are making some progress);  automization;  and equipment upgrade.  Trade facilitation and logi stics which include identifying and addressing 
bottlenecks to transport and trade.  Trade institutio ns – relating particularly to the CARICOM Single 
Market and Economy, such as the Establishmen t Competition Commission.  Food safety and 
traceability:  creation of quarantine inspection services;  improving conformity assessment capabilities;  and development of an effective tec hnical regulation framework.  Institutional capacity-
building:  building knowledge and capacity in the ar ea of TBT;  implementing a functional TBT Unit;  
strengthening human resources capacity of Em ployment Training and Educational Services. 
132. With respect to notifications, Belize recently received a technical mission from the WTO to 
provide assistance in treating with its notification commitments.  As a direct consequence of this mission Belize has strengthened its notification syst em and has made significant progress in reducing 
the number of outstanding notifications. 
133. A major issue which I have not yet addressed and which is one of great importance and a 
possible area for AfT support is establishing a permanent presence in Geneva. WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 24  
 
  THEME II – TRADE POLICY BY MEASURE 
134. Although there have been few major changes in our trade policy measures, significant work is 
being undertaken to enhance trade and competitiveness. 
135. Belize is currently phasing in its customs modernization programme, commencing at the Big 
Creek Port and subsequently extending to the Belize C ity Port.  This is the extent to which the initial 
funding allows.  Additional resour ces are required if a more holistic approach is to be adopted, 
thereby facilitating the incorporation of the customs entry points at the western and northern borders 
of Belize.  It is envisaged that with further development cooperation, co untry-wide implementation 
can be concluded by December 2013. 
136. As alluded to above, a phased implementation of ASYCUDA World – a computerized 
customs system – should begin in 2011.  This will facilitate the customs clearance process by 
allowing traders to submit customs declarations on line, assess duties and taxes themselves, and make 
payments online.  Trade facilitation is  high on our domestic policy agenda. 
137. Another important issue on the domestic policy ag enda is that of taxes and charges.  For 
Belize the spill-over effects of the financial crisis naturally impacts the extent and pace at which we 
conduct the requisite fiscal reforms.  In this regard , while there is an understanding of the concerns of 
Members in respect of Belize’s Environmental Tax and Revenue Replacement Duty, there is a need, 
given the prevailing economic conditions, to move forward with some measures of caution.  The 
intention is to conduct economic analysis with a vi ew to rationalizing import duties and internal taxes 
consistent with our WTO obligations. 
138. With respect to the current import licensing regi me, and the concerns which have been raised 
as regards our obligations under the relevant WT O Agreements, Belize is committed to adopting 
appropriate reforms.  The Prime Minister of Belize commissioned a task force to address the legislative framework governing the import licensing regime.  Specifically, emphasis is being placed 
on the administration of the regime to make it more  predictable and transparen t.  After several rounds 
of discussions and with guidance from the Solicitor General’s Offi ce, in the Attorney General’s 
Ministry, the task force has at hand a draft bill and draft regulations to amend the current rules 
governing import licensing. 
139. It is anticipated that these amendments will be endorsed by the Cabinet.  This will constitute a 
significant step towards addressing the concerns raised  by Members with respect to the transparency 
and predictability of Belize’s import licensing regime. 
140. Members are asked to note that the area of st andards and technical regulations is now being 
mainstreamed into Belize’s development plan.  Th e challenges faced in meeting our obligations under 
the TBT Agreement stem simply from the lack of an  institutional infrastructure and adequate skills to 
effectively fulfil our responsibilities.  Ongoing ins titutional capacity building assistance is beginning 
to bear fruit.  The Belize Bureau of Standards r ecently benefited from an institutional strengthening 
project which was undertaken by the British Standards Institution.  The Bureau will now 
operationalize its functionary role as the TBT enqui ry point, as well as ma ke necessary amendments 
to key pieces of legislation.  This is an importa nt project which will require appropriate follow up 
actions necessitating further donor fu nding and institutional cooperation. 
141. Recognizing the important role that competition policy plays in increasing the efficiency of 
the private sector, Belize is actively seeking to promote competition within the economy, as well as facilitate the welfare enhancing effects of opening non-tradable sectors to competition and 
safeguarding the interests of consumers.  Be lize is implementing a competition law and policy  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 25 
 
 
  consistent with its regional obligations.  Howeve r, the inability to secure the requisite resources to 
establish the institutional framework is restricting progress in this area. 
THEME III – SECTORAL POLICIES 
142. Belize’s agriculture sector is characterized by two basic components:  production of the 
export and production for domestic consumption.  Th ese components have developed over the past 50 
years under their distinct preference regimes.  Pref erence adjustment by the ex port based industries is 
gradually taking place with financial and technical  support from former preference granting countries 
designed to increase productivity and transform e xport commodities to a level where they achieve 
global competitiveness.  The experience of Beli ze is positive as productivity has been increasing. 
143. Liberalization is a challenge facing our small farmers and entrepreneurs traditionally focused 
on the domestic market.  These industries need to increase productivity and become globally 
competitive.  For this to materialize, a program similar to that employed  with respect to export 
industries such as bananas and sugar has to be in stituted.  There must by necessity be increased 
investment in improved technology, infrastructure and human resources so that our agriculture can 
become fully competitive. 
144. Belize is currently exploring avenues for accessi ng donor funding to facilitate investment in 
agriculture with a view to ensuring short to medium  term stability in the sector in terms of production 
and employment.  The importance of agriculture fo r rural communities, in particular the indigenous 
people of Belize should not be overlooked. 
145. Services along with agriculture form the main  drivers of the Belizean economy.  Services 
contribution to overall growth and development in Belize is reflected through its share in GDP and 
employment.  This share has not increased signi ficantly since 2004, averaging around 54%, though 
services remain the dominant sector in the economy.  As part of its diversification plans, the Government of Belize continues to explore the me ans to further promote the development of the 
services sector.  Of the services sector the tourism and financial services subsectors have been the most promoted and the most advanced. 
146. Recognizing the prominence of tourism and financ ial services, and the need to strengthen the 
other services sectors, two very important initiatives have been pursued, namely, the creation of the 
Belize Coalition of Services Providers, and the launching of the project "Export of Professional Services from Belize".  These are both in the early stages. 
147. It is envisioned that the Coalition of Servi ces Providers will be a partner in the national 
development process bringing members of the servi ce industries under one umbrella organization.  
This initiative will assist services in becoming better organized for the purpose of giving dynamism to 
the sector, developing partnerships locally, regionally and internationa lly, as well as taking advance of 
service export and investment opportunities. 
148. The ICT, financial services and non-traditiona l tourism industries are among those services 
subsectors which will be targeted for development.  Policy interventions in these sectors will seek to 
reduce the capacity and efficiency gap between Belize and advanced developing countries.  In 
addition, production and export in these sector s will be expanded through coherent development 
strategies and policy prescriptions. 
149. That substantially addresses our economic and in stitutional environmental, trade policies and 
sectors.  We have come to the time when I must thank everyone for their support, the comments have 
been particularly welcomed and most useful.  We are comforted by the reaffirmation that trade policy 
and reform should remain consiste nt with our Millennium Developm ent Goals, particularly those WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 26  
 
  related to poverty reduction.  The Review itself has been most timely as it has allowed us an 
opportunity to take stock and recalibrate our way forward knowing that we leave here with your 
support to address the many challenges we face in promoting growth and development, and ultimately 
our successful integration into the multilateral trading system. 
DISCUSSANT 
150. Belize has been correctly praised this week for the strides it has taken to liberalize its trade 
regime and develop its sm all open economy consistent with its WTO obligations. With the prospects 
for the Global economy improving it is to be hoped th at Belize can take advantage of the strengths 
and opportunities in the region and be yond which were referred to this week. I was heartened to hear 
Mrs. Kantum Coleman refer this morning to the ev ident signs of economic recovery in her country. 
Such developments could go a long way to addressi ng many of Belize’s concerns and facilitate the 
development of a sustainable and equitable social and economic structure. We look forward therefore 
to the continuing focus of the Government of Belize on the development of sectors and sub sectors with the greatest potential to positively impact on trade, exports and employment thereby addressing 
issues such as the trade deficit, unemployment and poverty. The evolving National Trade Strategy 
will be an important focal point in this regard. Fu ture success will require continuing efforts to attract 
Foreign Direct Investment and focused Aid for Tr ade as well as further improvements in trade policy 
and trade-related infrastructure which were consider ed this week. We heard a comprehensive account 
this morning of Belize’s Aid for Trade Strategy a nd calls for increased flows of such funds. We look 
forward to hearing of further progress in this directio n in the years to come and perhaps to news of a 
Belizean Mission in Geneva. 
EUROPEAN UNION 
151. The EU as Belize’s largest aid for trade donor has taken careful note of the calls for additional 
AfT assistance.  As already mentioned during the firs t day of this Review, the EU is providing to 
Belize €11.8 million under the Tenth European De velopment Fund concentrated mostly on rural 
development.  During 2006-10, Belize also received a total of €50 million under the accompanying 
measures for sugar protocol countries, aimed mos tly at improving efficiency in cane production and 
processing as well as promoting economic diversificati on.  The EU would like to confirm that Belize 
will continue to benefit of new a llocations also dur ing 2011-2013.   
152. In addition, during 1999-2008 Belize has rece ived funding over €27 million under the special 
framework of assistance for ACP banana producers, a nd will of course continue to benefit of the new 
allocations to modernize the sector and meet social needs in the banana growing region.  Also Belize 
benefits from a number of other ACP AfT progr ammes such as PROINVEST, which is aimed at 
training on EU market access procedures, and TRADECOM on SPS capacity enforcement and institutional strengthening of Belize’s standards.   
153. So hopefully these programmes address some of the development needs of Belize, and the EU 
is confident that this cooperation and assistance will  continue successfully in the future in order for 
Belize to achieve its strengthening of its competitiveness and the integration process.  
UNITED STATES 
154. I would like to express our thanks for the res ponses to our advance wr itten questions, we will 
review them in Geneva as well as in Washington , and we will get back in writing with any follow-up 
question that we may have.  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 27 
 
 
  DOMINICA 
155. I make this brief statement on behalf of the OECS.  I would like to congratulate Belize on 
what it has been a successful conclusion of its TPR.  Belize shares a number of characteristics with 
certain members of the OECS, we are both members of the CARICOM and classified among the least 
developed members of CARICOM, and therefore we face some of the similar challenges that have 
been highlighted by Belize and also by the Secretariat on its Report, in terms of small size, supply 
side capacity constraints, etc.   
156. We would like to congratulate Belize in that re gard for the successes it has achieved so far in 
overcoming some of these challenges in terms of fulfilling its oblig ations under the WTO 
Agreements.  We also want to congratulate Belize on the efforts it has been undertaken in terms of 
mainstreaming aid into its national development strate gies.  We want to encourage Belize to continue 
in that regard, and we hope that those efforts will lead to a greater increase of AfT to Belize for its 
economic development.  WT/TPR/M/238 
Page 28  
 
  VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
157. This is the second Trade Policy Review of Be lize and I would like to thank the Government 
of Belize and the Secretariat for their reports  and Deputy Permanent Representative Counsellor 
Declan Morrin of Ireland for his remarks as discussan t all of which gave us a good basis for the 
Review.  In addition, the active participatio n of the delegation from Belize, headed by 
Mrs Orla Kantum Coleman, was much appreciated, particularly given the difficult circumstances 
caused by Hurricane Richard that prevented Minist er Elrington from attending this meeting.   
158. From the Government and Secretariat Reports  and the statements and questions from 
Members it is clear that Belize fa ces a large number of challenges and, with a small open economy, is 
at risk from external shocks – both economic a nd environmental.  Members were particularly 
interested in the remarks made by Mrs Coleman in her intervention when she listed the hurricanes, 
storms and tropical depressions that have affected Belize over the past few years and the cost of these 
events in human and financial terms.  The global fina ncial crisis that started in 2008 also had a severe 
impact on Belize where it affected foreign investme nt, tourism and foreign remittances – all of which 
are important for the balance of payments and he lp overcome the large defi cit in trade in goods. 
159. Other external factors have also had an impact on Belize and its trade.  The wide fluctuations 
in commodity prices over the past few years, particul arly in food and fuel, have contributed to the 
increase in the trade deficit.  Belize has taken c onsiderable strides to improve productivity in 
agriculture production, where the erosion of prefer ences for traditional exports has reduced the value 
of trade.  As Mrs Coleman stated, as one challenge is  dealt with another arrives.  The positive effect 
on the citrus fruit industry of the eradication of Mediterranean fruit fly followed by problems 
associated with the arrival of citrus greening is another example.  Other countries face similar 
problems but, with a small economy and limited resources, these problems are particularly severe for Belize. 
160. Domestic factors also have important eff ects on the economy of Belize and limit the policy 
options available to the authorities to address unemplo yment and poverty.  High levels of foreign debt 
and dependence on concessional borro wing from international organizations do not leave much room 
for fiscal policy flexibility.  At the same time th e fixed link between the Belize dollar and the U.S. 
dollar has many benefits.  It does however  limit the scope for monetary policy. 
161. Despite the constraints on domestic policymaking, Belize has made real progress towards 
reducing its exposure to external shocks by diversifying the economy away from dependence on 
exports of a narrow range of agriculture products th at rely on preferential access to a small number of 
export markets.  The diversification strategy has b een helped by the discovery of oil.  It was also 
noted that, although oil represents 40% of foreign exchange earnings, its impact on the rest of the 
economy and on employment has been limited compared to what the export statistics imply.   
162. The importance of the services sector to the ove rall economy and to most people in Belize has 
been increasing importance as both tourism and financia l services have noticably grown since the last 
Trade Policy Review.  The emphasis given by the au thorities to the regulation of the international 
financial services industry has been noted as an impo rtant feature of the sustainable development of 
the industry.  Diversification has not been limited to the expansion of the services sector as agriculture 
exports have diversified to  include papaya, maize, rice and other products.    
163. The Government and the Secretariat reports, as well as discussant and delegations were in 
total convergence on the potential for growth in Belize.  Without wishing to downplay the size and 
importance of the constraints facing the country, there is considerable potential for growth in 
agriculture where only a small proportion of suitable land is being used for farming, and in tourism 
where Belize has the second biggest coral reef in the world, ancient ruins, and unspoilt tropical forests  WT/TPR/M/238 
 Page 29 
 
 
  all within a short flight from some major markets.  Belize is also in the unique position of being the 
only CARICOM country in Central America with ma ny people fluent in both English and Spanish, 
and it could play a leading role in improving inter-regional integration – including through the 
CARICOM-SICA trade negotiations. 
164. From the statements by the discussant and delegations, it appears that there is scope for Belize 
to improve the climate for foreign investment and trade through domestic reforms.  Delegations noted 
the use of non-automatic import licences and the complex, and sometimes contradictory, set of policies affecting the trade regime.  The current  programme to streamline import procedures is a 
significant step forward but further progress in other areas would also help to improve efficiency and 
predictability.  In addition, delegations noted th at some taxes are applied to imports but not to 
domestic production and suggested that this shoul d be amended so importe d and domestic products 
are treated equally.  On the other hand, the progress being made in some areas, such as in removing stamp duty, was commended. 
165. In addition to policies that directly influence trade, it was pointed out that the high cost of 
reform in areas like competition policy could also help to bring down the cost of doing business as 
they could lead to lower costs for telecommunications and port charges.   
166. Delegations referred to the absence of notificati ons by Belize, notably in the area of technical 
barriers to trade, and urged Belize to make gr eater efforts towards improving its record for 
notifications.  Improving notifications is essentia l for the work of the WTO committees and the 
monitoring of compliance with commitments.   
167. Finally, delegations stressed the importance of trade facilitation and aid for trade and pointed 
out that they have provided funding for activities in these areas.  The mainstreaming of trade into 
development policies and the development by Belize of a trade strategy indicate the importance the 
authorities attach to trade as part of the development of the country.  From the report by the Government of Belize and its answers to questio ns by delegations, Belize has demonstrated the 
importance of trade policy to its development. 
__________