On Saturday, December 15th, 2018, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belize City, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Laura Tucker Longsworth, met with the President of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), Honourable Irma Amaya, who was in Belize attending the SICA Meeting.
The aim of the meeting was to commence a dialogue between both parliaments in an effort to establish an inter-parliamentary relation in areas relating to politics, economics, environment, education and culture.
PARLACEN is a permanent regional institution that comprises of parliamentarians of Central America and the Dominican Republic, excluding Belize and Costa Rica, who are elected in their respective countries. It has a political and democratic representation in SICA, and its main objective is to promote the unity of Central America as a region of peace, liberty, democracy and development.
At the meeting, the Honourable Madam Speaker pledged her commitment to continue the dialogue with PARLACEN, with the hope that the National Assembly of Belize can in the future sign a Memorandum of Understanding that will result in our parliament working with PARLACEN in parliamentary projects for the promotion of frameworks/legislation for the region. For example, PARLACEN is interested in looking at our legislation that deals with issues relating to the human rights of persons living with HIV/AIDS among other issues of mutual interests.
The President of PARLACEN was accompanied by the Honourable Silvia Garcia Polanco, the Vice President of PARLACEN in Dominican Republic, the Honourable Sidney Orlington Francis, Vice President of PARLACEN in Nicaragua, and Ms. Beatriz Herrera, Director of Foreign Affairs of PARLACEN’s Board of Directors, in Guatemala. Also present at the meeting with the Honourable Madam Speaker was Mrs. Clarita Pech, Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly.
