BELMOPAN, Belize – The government of Belize is proud to announce that the World Trade Organization’s Fish Fund has approved the “Building Legal Understanding and Enforcement Capacity for Fisheries Subsidies Reform in Belize (BLUE-CAP) Project.”
This grant, valued at US$300,000, will help Belize build the legal and institutional capacity needed to manage emerging fisheries subsidy programs responsibly, ensuring they support livelihoods without inadvertently encouraging harmful fishing practices. The BLUE-CAP Project complements ongoing blue economy initiatives—such as the IDB-supported program to expand artisanal fisheries and the national Blue Economy Development Policy and Strategy—by pairing financial and livelihood support with strong governance and compliance frameworks. Together, these efforts reinforce Belize’s vision of a blue economy that is both economically empowering and environmentally sustainable.
The success of this application reflects the close collaboration of the directorate general for foreign trade, the ministry of blue economy and marine conservation, the fisheries department, and the high seas fisheries unit, in partnership with the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM). Belize thanks the WTO Fish Fund Steering Committee and the Secretariat for their support and looks forward to working with national and regional partners to safeguard marine resources for future generations.