In a landmark second for local weather resilience throughout the area, the Caribbean Neighborhood Local weather Change Centre (CCCCC) formally broke floor this week on its new state-of-the-art headquarters, to be constructed on the College of Belize’s (UB) Belmopan campus.
The occasion, held Wednesday, coincided with the CCCCC’s twentieth anniversary and underscored a deepening partnership between the Centre and UB. The brand new facility will serve not solely because the CCCCC’s everlasting residence but additionally as a central hub for regional local weather motion throughout Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) member states.
“This occasion showcases the important function of strategic partnerships within the supply of our mandates,” stated CCCCC Govt Director Dr. Colin Younger. “With this partnership, local weather resilience, sustainability and adaptation within the Caribbean will take priority. And whereas it might appear as if it has taken us 20 years to get thus far, nothing occurs earlier than its time.”
The groundbreaking ceremony introduced collectively high regional officers, together with CARICOM Deputy Secretary Basic Armstrong Alexis, Belize Prime Minister John Briceño, and Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip Pierre, who additionally serves as CARICOM’s Lead Head of Authorities for Sustainable Growth. Ministers from Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Grenada have been additionally in attendance.
The Centre, which began out in a single room on the college twenty years in the past, is being warmly welcomed “again residence.”
“The College of Belize has allotted 5 acres of its campus to the Caribbean Neighborhood Local weather Change Centre as a result of we perceive that schooling should interact instantly with nationwide improvement,” stated UB President Dr. Vincent Palacio. “Local weather change shouldn’t be an summary difficulty—it’s right here, and our response should be rooted in establishments that serve.”
The brand new facility comes as a part of a proper Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UB and the CCCCC, aimed toward enhancing analysis collaboration, technical coaching, and tutorial engagement throughout the area.
Prime Minister Briceño mirrored on the lengthy path to this milestone, noting that Belize’s bid to host the CCCCC started as early as 1998, when he served as Minister of Pure Assets beneath then Prime Minister Stated Musa.
“Twenty years later, we’re lastly right here on the College of Belize, breaking floor for its headquarters,” Briceño stated. He expressed gratitude to regional leaders who supported Belize’s imaginative and prescient, singling out the late former Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, for graciously stepping apart and permitting Belize to develop into the Centre’s everlasting residence.
The development of the brand new headquarters marks a big step ahead in advancing local weather resilience, sustainable improvement, and regional cooperation within the face of mounting local weather threats to the Caribbean.
