By Government Press Office | BELIZE
BELMOPAN, Belize – The prime minister of Belize, John Briceño, in his capacity as vice president of the Sixth Session of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) DOCK Assembly, led a delegation of technical experts on a research and educational visit to Variodin AG, a Hamburg-based technology company from September 1 to 2.
The visit allowed the delegation a better understanding of how Belize and the Caribbean region can capitalize on and mitigate the growing threat of sargassum to the region’s critical tourism industry.
Since 2011, Belize and the Caribbean region have seen an increase in sargassum patches along coastlines as a result of warming waters. This issue remains a major threat to the region’s economy given its primary economic earner is tourism revenue.
Belize, Jamaica, Barbados and several other Caribbean nations have engaged in national efforts to address the issue of sargassum and its related effects on its industry and people. The island of St Croix has even had to declare a state of emergency to address the mounting sargassum along its coastlines.
Prime minister Briceño noted: “In seeking technological solutions in managing waste, for example, sargassum, for the production of energy, and based on our research and ongoing discussions, Variodin’s technology can possibly assist to design innovative technological solutions that can address this threat in the region.”
During their visit, the delegation also met with city officials and learned how they manage waste in their cities and some of the working solutions. The delegation included technical experts from Belize, the SIDS DOCK Secretariat and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.