The Statistical Institute of Belize and the Sustainable Development Unit strengthen partnership to improve national development data

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The Statistical Institute of Belize and the Sustainable Development Unit strengthen partnership to improve national development data

Belmopan City, July 21, 2026 – The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) and the Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) under the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Solid Waste Management today signed a four-year Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the coordination, management, and dissemination of Belize’s national development data. The Agreement was signed during the National SDG and Statistical System Workshop at the Grand Resort Residences by Ms. Milagro Matus, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Solid Waste Management, and Ms. Diana Castillo, Director General of the Statistical Institute of Belize.

The partnership establishes a collaborative framework for coordinating the collection, validation, reporting, and dissemination of three important sets of development indicators: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States (ABAS), and the #PlanBelize Medium-Term Development Strategy (MTDS) 2.0. These indicators will be made publicly available through the Belize National Statistical System (BNSS) Portal, providing policymakers, researchers and the public with improved access to official development statistics.

Under the Agreement, the SIB will collect the data from the respective producing agencies, validate the information, and publish the indicators on the portal The SDU will lead national coordination for SDG and ABAS reporting, including Belize’s Voluntary National Reviews, while promoting stronger collaboration among ministries, departments and agencies to improve data sharing, harmonize indicator frameworks and encourage the use of the BNSS Portal as the country’s primary source of official development statistics.

The signing concluded a workshop during which participants approved the Interim SDG Progress Report 2025 and reviewed reports that will guide future work. The workshop was supported by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The BNSS Portal is available at https://bnss.sib.org.bz/ords/r/sib/bnss/login_desktop?session=1143964918712.

Media Contact

Javier Romero
Communications & Marketing Officer
Statistical Institute of Belize
jromero@mail.sib.org.bz
+501 822-2207 ext. 209

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