Local News

Belize is currently chairing the first inter-parliamentary forum of presiding officers from Central America and the Caribbean, also referred to as FOPREL.  Foprel is a regional institution based in Nicaragua whose purpose is to enhance parliaments in the region.  Belize’s Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, is chairing the event, which is taking place at the Belize Biltmore Plaza.  Speaker of the House of Representatives, Michael Peyrefitte, told reporters a short while ago what is on the agenda.

MICHAEL PEYREFITTE, Speaker of the House of Representatives

“It’s just a forum for heads of parliaments.  So as Speaker of the House for Belize then I belong to that parliamentary association for Central America, it’s brain child of SECA to which we also belong in Central America and what we do as elected Presidents is to attempt to form this group and form committees so that we can come up with ideas that hopefully we’ll turn to policies and laws.  Different countries have different responsibilities, for example, you’ll have one country represent and promote for the region national security, the other one for the environment, for example, Costa Rica is for the environment, Panama is for banking and finance.  In the last couple months the Executive Secretary for FOPREL is Dr. Santiago who asked me if we could promote for Belize to be the chairman of the education and health committee for FOPREL.  Of course, I liaise with the Hon. Patrick Faber, the Minister of Education, and he jumped on the opportunity for Belize to represent for education and health in FOPREL and what we’re doing here for the first time ever in Belize, we have a FOPREL meeting and we’re trying to come up with different resolutions that Belize will strive for and represent and contribute to the parliament of Central America.”

MARION ALI, Reporter

“Resolutions such as?”

MICHAEL PEYREFITTE, Speaker of the House of Representatives

“Well we’re trying to come up with those.  We have – there’s a preliminary set of resolutions that we will look into, I don’t want to preempt what the inter-parliamentary committee will decide on but there’s a fight against hunger, there’s a fight towards healthy consumption of food for children in schools.  The main thing that seems to be coming out is that while children are going to school, separate from education itself, is their health.  Children are not eating properly and in certain countries children are not eating at all.  We realize that in certain countries: Guatemala, El Salvador children – half of them are not in school and the other half who are in school are not eating healthy.  Nicaragua pass a very radical executive order in which for example, they band all soft drinks, all junk food to be served in primary schools for example. So Belize will lead the charge against children being unhealthy who are in school and not general state of being unhealthy and how it affects your education?”

MARION ALI, Reporter

“How do you convert that from this meeting and agendas on in your discussion here from that point to actually the situation in our schools?”

MICHAEL PEYREFITTE, Speaker of the House of Representatives

“That is why it was very important for Belize to chair that particular committee and for the Minister of Education himself to be here today.  He has been very generous with his time and so as the- as we at FOPREL pass those resolutions it will be the job of the Minister of Education to ensure that the thing we agree on in this meeting become policy at the very least.”

Countries represented are Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize.  Four of them, including Belize will make presentations on nutrition in the school system.