CLGF Chairperson Zenaida Moya, former Mayor of Belize City, will chair the annual Board meeting of CLGF in Belize this week. Ministers, mayors, councillors, officials, and other senior local government representatives from across the Commonwealth and the Caribbean have come together for the meeting hosted by the Ministry of Local Government of Belize. 

Alongside the meeting of the CLGF Board there will be meetings of the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities, the Caribbean Association of Local Government Authorities and a one-day conference on Strategies for Local Economic Development in the Caribbean to launch the new Caribbean Local Economic Development Program (CARILED) – a joint initiative of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), CLGF, CALGA and CFLGM, and funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Hon Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and honorary patron of CLGF, and Commonwealth Secretary-General HE Kamalesh Sharma will also address the conference and meet with CLGF Board members from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Caribbean to discuss strengthening local government in the Caribbean and CLGF’s work in the region.

Speaking in Belmopan, Belize at a press briefing on Monday, CLGF Secretary-General Carl Wright said,  “Our CLGF meetings will allow us to review the progress of local government in the different regions of the Commonwealth. In particular, we will look at how we can respond to key political issues around the world where local democracy requires our active support and engagement. Our meetings result in concrete action to support local government such as the work we are doing to support local government in the Caribbean and the new CARILED program alongside other initiatives in the region."

CLGF Chairperson Mayor Zenaida Moya said, “CLGF has been instrumental in developing the programme in the Caribbean region to support local government, together with CALGA, CFLGM and the FCM. There are many small states like Belize in the Commonwealth and I hope that we will be able to share expertise and know-how to deliver practical action for local government in the region.”