N.T.U.C.B: Belize has not made any major significant moves to fully implement UNCAC
Luke Martinez
On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, N.T.U.C.B. calls for action against corruption. In a press release issued by the union, it underscores that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption, UNCAC, by resolution on October thirty-first, 2003 and designated today’s date as International Anti-Corruption Day. The day is set aside to raise awareness on corruption and of the role the Convention plays in combating the scourge. The N.T.U.C.B. reminded that Belize, under the Barrow administration, signed an Instrument of Accession submitted to the United Nations Secretary General on November thirtieth, 2016, after the Senate ratified the motion. And on December ninth of that year, as the world observed “International Anti-Corruption Day”, the Government of Belize signed onto the United Nation’s Convention against Corruption, UNCAC. And in June of last year, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recommitting the countries of the world to the full implementation of UNCAC and within the shortest time. But after all these formalities, the N.T.U.C.B. contends that there has been no information shared in Belize on our participation in these UN sessions and how we voted. This is what the N.T.U.C.B. states in part on the matter in its release “Today, December ninth, 2022, six years after signing on to the convention, Belize has not made any major significant moves to fully implement UNCAC. Outstanding is the second cycle review in which Belize will be reviewed on Chapter two (Preventive Measures) and Chapter five (Asset Recovery) of the convention. This review was scheduled for 2020 but two years hence and nothing new has been learnt,”. N.T.U.C.B. President, Luke Martinez calls on the Government to take serious action and fully implement the UN Convention, by re-establishing the national steering committee to oversee the implementation of the Convention in Belize.
Luke Martinez, President, N.T.U.C.B.
“The government has done several things: the question is: are those actions meaningful? Remember that when they came to office the first thing they did was sign onto a good governance motion. And what best way to tackle corruption that through good governance, eh? How far are they with this good governance – with the undertakings on that good governance motion? They’re not serious. They’ve also said that “Look, we’ve also put together the Good Governance Unit. And the Good Governance Unit will tell you, “Oh we’ve reviewed Haiti and Tuvalu and there’s another peer review pending but because of COVID this and because of COVID that. IS that reasonable for us? Does that show that we are serious about tackling corruption in this country? We have to remember that also, as a nation we’ve signed on to the Strategic Development Goals. And we will not be able to meet those commitments if we can’t address corruption in this country.”
