In October 2011, the Government of Belize received a grant from the CARTFund in the amount of USD 277,906.00 to support the Strengthening and Capacity Building of the Newly-Established BCSP. Government has also committed USD 118,815.00 as counterpart contribution.

Strengthening and Capacity Building of the BCSP Project

The grant fund resources are being used to establish a secretariat for the BCSP including office accommodation, qualified staff, equipment and financial resources to fund the core activities required of all coalitions such as awareness-building, business development, lobbying/advocacy and export promotion. The project’s main activities are in line with BCSP’s immediate priorities which are:

• Establishing a secretariat for the BCSP
• Raising awareness on and changing key stakeholder perception of:
  • The potential contribution of the services sector to Belize’s economy
  • The need for a more enabling environment
  • The availability of trading opportunities
  • The role of the BCSP in promoting the development of the services sector
  • Developing comprehensive sector profiles, a service sector database, and road maps and action plans for guiding the development of the priority service sub-sectors
  • Advancing positions on key policy, institutional and legislative/regulatory issues