PRESS RELEASE:
First activities of the IX Technical and Scientific Cooperation Programme 2019-2020, between Mexico and Belize
The Belize Bureau of Standards and the Statistical Institute of Belize are the first two institutions to participate in cooperation activities within the framework of the IX Technical and Scientific Cooperation Programme 2019-2020 between Mexico and Belize.
Last November 6, 2018, the governments of Mexico and Belize approved the IX Scientific and Technical Cooperation Bilateral Programme 2019-2020 that includes ten cooperation projects involving several government ministries, departments and agencies in Belize. This programme is part of Mexico’s longstanding support of Belize’s development and capacity-building process. This week, two teams of Mexican experts have been engaged in different cooperation activities with the Belize Bureau of Standards (BBS) and the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB), with the support of the Mexican Agency for International Cooperation and Development – AMEXCID.
A key deliverable of the programme includes a project titled “Development and strengthening of the institutional capacities for a National Quality Infrastructure”, with the Belize Bureau of Standards serving as the primary beneficiary. With the collaboration of technical experts from the National Metrology Institute of Mexico (CENAM), the aim of the second project is to provide support to the BBS in order to advance its technical skills in measurements relevant to the national setting. This will assure that the BBS has the ability to provide certified calibration services to end users from both public and private entities. This visit included a three-day mission with key stakeholders from the private sector, as well as a workshop to discuss best practices and to plan for the development of calibration capabilities to serve current and future needs of the country. CENAM is one of the leading metrology institutes in the Western Hemisphere having worked with various countries on similar projects in the region.
In this sense, and under the project “Use of Geospatial Technology in Census Data in Belize”, Mexican experts from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) and the Agri-food and Fishing Information Service (SIAP) have been working closely with the SIB team to carry out a diagnosis of SIB’s capacity for the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), statistics and digital mapping techniques for the population census to be conducted in Belize in 2020. This four-day mission was an opportunity to further identify potential collaboration in other areas, such as cartographic skills and geospatial data for agriculture, among others.
The Embassy of Mexico in Belize is pleased to draw on the technical expertise from CENAM, INEGI and SIAP, as well as other institutions, to serve the greater macro objectives for improved collaboration between Mexico and Belize, and reiterates the commitment to continue strengthening our friendship ties through cooperation.
March 28th, 2019
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Kindly visit the link to view the Press Release from the Embassy of Mexico: Embassy of Mexico – Press Release Cooperation Activities March 2019
