Will G.O.B. Formally Appoint New Successor to Guide Maya Land Rights Process?

Dinah Shelton

According to Coc, following the C.C.J.’s consent order, the Government of Belize individually selected Dinah Shelton, Professor Emeritus at George Washington University Law School, as the expert to guide the process forward.  In light of Shelton’s existing health condition, another consultant has since been chosen to succeed her, but government is yet to formalize that appointment.

Cristina Coc

Cristina Coc, Spokesperson, Maya Leaders Alliance

“The initial authority that was appointed, of course unilaterally, by the government was Professor Dinah Shelton, an expert on indigenous people’s rights.  Sadly, her medical situation prevented her from continuing that position and because of that we have seen some delays in the appointment of a second authority or another authority to replace Professor Shelton.  We recently learned through the authority herself that she has been appointed, Dean Solario, Rosa Solario from George Washington University.  She is also a very credible expert in her own right on indigenous people’s rights, on international human rights norms and standards, and so the appellant and the Maya people have no objections to her appointment.  We are only concerned that the appointment continues to be delayed and that the necessary support mechanism for Dean Solario to begin her work is not yet in place.  For instance, the government took an undertaking to provide a way, a mechanism in which we can submit our complaints by way of establishing an email account.  It has been months and that email account has not been submitted or communicated to us.  We heard in the court today that they couldn’t give a decision as to a timeline of when an email account is to be set up for this authority.  Also, the government took an undertaking to provide a clerk from either the Supreme Court or the magistrate’s court to assist this authority to collect and file claims and to be able to support Dean Solario in beginning to review some of these incursions and some of these complaints that are coming before her office.  Again, it’s a little bit disheartening that we didn’t get a full commitment as to a timeline, as to a time commitment when this is going to happen.”