FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Belize Prime Minister John Briceño elected Vice President of the ninth SIDS DOCK Assembly
Briceno’s election affirms a bold commitment to trailblazing leadership and transformative innovation.
2nd October 2025, UN Headquarters, New York: In the heart of the Caribbean, where turquoise waters meet resilient communities, Belize is charting a bold course as a global leader in environment and energy. As the proud Host Country of the Small Island Developing States Dock (SIDS DOCK) Organization, Belize is not only anchoring a transformative movement for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Coastal Developing Countries but also shaping the future of sustainable development through innovation, partnership, and purpose.
On 25th September 2025, Honourable John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, was unanimously elected Vice President of the ninth session of the SIDS DOCK Assembly, representing the Caribbean Region. Briceño handed over the Presidency during the ninth session to The Honourable Feleti Penitala Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, after having served as the eighth President. “Being present before you today, on the occasion of our tenth anniversary, is not only a privilege, but also a moment of deep significance and shared purpose,” said Briceño, during the organization’s milestone celebration. This moment marked more than a ceremonial occasion; it was a testament to Belize’s unwavering commitment to climate resilience and energy transformation.
Over the past decade, SIDS DOCK has weathered global storms, from the COVID-19 pandemic to intensifying climate and economic shocks. Belize stood firm, offering financial, technical, and policy support that helped SIDS DOCK evolve into a dynamic platform for sustainable energy and global influence.
Belize’s leadership is not symbolic, it’s structural. The country hosts not only SIDS DOCK, but also the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA) and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), forming a powerful triad of climate and energy institutions. Together, they are creating a technological space that reimagines the Caribbean’s climate and energy landscape. Belize is not just hosting institutions, it is hosting hope, innovation, and a shared future.
The launch of the GLOEA is unlocking ocean renewable energy, from Seabased Wave Power Parks to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and Waste-to-Energy innovations. Belize’s pioneering Waste-to-Energy project will turn the tide on the Sargassum crisis, converting millions of tons of invasive seaweed into energy and nature-based products providing solutions to declining crop production caused by fungal disease and depleted soils This innovation is not just ecological, it’s agricultural, protecting crops from threats like the Fusarium Fungus, which devastated Belize’s sugar industry in 2024/2025. The tide is turning and Belize is leading the way.
Guided by the 2014 SAMOA Pathway and the 2024 Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), Belize has helped forge strategic alliances that empower Member States. The Joint Declaration signed with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Austria at the Fourth UN International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4) exemplifies this spirit, committing to energy transition and economic diversification through 2034, cementing the partners’ decade-old relationship. This and other partnerships is the crucial pathway to enabling higher-value goods and services in the green, blue, and digital economies, to drive economic development and employment.
Belize’s leadership also recognizes that climate action must be inclusive. Briceño noted that across SIDS, women slightly outnumber men, especially in the Caribbean and Pacific. At the national level, Belize champions gender-responsive planning through the Revised 2024-2030 National Gender Policy and the leadership of the National Women’s Commission, supported by a network of government and civil society organizations, and also through the SIDS DOCK Island Women Open Network (IWON), which empowers women in the blue and green economy. IWON’s Signature Project, a global botanical and herbal supplier market, is blending traditional knowledge with modern enterprise, with Tonga leading the charge and partners like UNIDO, Norway’s GRID-Arendal Foundation, the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE), and the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centers (GN-SEC) paving the way for a zero-carbon processing facility.
Belize’s tribute to SIDS DOCK on its tenth anniversary resonates across oceans. “Let us rise together, powered by purpose and united by the ocean,” Briceño said. As Belize looks ahead, Briceño’s message is clear – SIDS DOCK must remain a catalyst. “The next decade must be one of acceleration, from pilots to infrastructure, from resilience to regeneration,” he concluded.
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SIDS DOCK is a United Nations (UN) recognised international organisation established in 2015, with all the rights and privileges for addressing climate change, resilience, and energy security in small islands. SIDS DOCK represents 32 small islands and low-lying developing states across the globe, and is so named because it is designed as a “DOCKing station,” to connect the energy sector in SIDS with the global markets for finance and sustainable energy technologies. The organisation’s work is coordinated by the Secretariat, in Belmopan, Belize.
For more information contact:
Christine Neves Duncan, Chief of Staff, SIDS DOCK Secretariat
Email: secretariat@sidsdock.org; cduncan@sidsdock.org