Belize-Guatemala Process

Belize - Guatemala Process

Data

Status

Active

Start

2000

Implementation

Social Networks

@OEA_BelizeGuate

OEA OAS Belize Guatemala

In March 2000, Belize and Guatemala resumed discussions on their territorial dispute with the assistance of the Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General. On November 8, 2000, they signed the first Agreement on Confidence Building Measures, establishing an "Adjacency Line" and a one-kilometer "Adjacency Zone" on either side. A second Agreement was signed on February 7, 2003, and subsequently amended in September 2005 by the "Agreement on a Framework for Negotiation and Confidence Building Measures between Belize and Guatemala". The central point of this Agreement, which is still in force, was on the one hand, that the Secretary General should appoint, at his discretion, a high-ranking official as his Special Representative (SRSG), and on the other hand, the establishment of the OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone (OAS/AZ).

Objectives

Strengthen bilateral relations and communication channels between Belize and Guatemala.
Strengthen peace and stability in the Adjacency Zone through verifications.
Promote the holding of high-level diplomatic meetings.
Provide accompaniment as observers in military and police operations, contact patrols and judicial proceedings as determined.
Help improve the technical capabilities in georeferencing of the military forces of both countries.
Promote awareness of the Confidence Building Measures Agreements between the populations along the Adjacency Zone.
Promote a culture of peace through the "Ta'Amay" Training and Peace Promotion Centers.
Strengthen access to information on the Belize-Guatemala Process, the culture of peace and other topics of interest through digital and radio media.

Activities

Verification of incidents in the Adjacency Zone.
Technical meetings between entities of both countries.
High level diplomatic meetings.
Accompaniment as observers in military and police operations, contact patrols and judicial proceedings as determined.
Technical training on georeferencing.
Promotion of human rights, gender equity, empowerment and protection of girls and women, and the content of the Agreements on Confidence Building Measures.
Training and peace promotion workshops at the "Ta'Amay" Training and Peace Promotion Centers that provide new job, economic and personal growth opportunities for the Belizean and Guatemalan communities.
The communication strategy of the OAS/ZA Mission is executed through the creation of episodes in the podcast "La Zona" and the operation of the FM station called "La Zona Radio".