🇧🇿 Belize in CARICOM: The Caribbean Connection Runs Deep
Ask a traveler where Belize is, and you might hear:
“Central America.”
“Next to Mexico.”
Or even, “Wait… it’s in the Caribbean?”
The truth is: Belize is all three.
But when it comes to political, cultural, and economic belonging, one answer stands strong:
Belize is part of the Caribbean.
And one of the clearest ways to understand that is through CARICOM.
🌍 What Is CARICOM?
CARICOM stands for the Caribbean Community — an organization of 15 full member states and 5 associate members.
It was created in 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas to promote:
- Economic integration
- Cultural exchange
- Collective diplomacy
- Shared development
CARICOM is not just a trade bloc.
It’s a way of saying: we face the world together.
📍 Belize Joined CARICOM in 1974
Just three years after CARICOM was formed, Belize became a full member.
At the time, it was still called British Honduras — not yet independent, but already looking eastward.
That early decision to join CARICOM helped shape Belize’s modern identity:
- English-speaking like Jamaica and Barbados
- Culturally tied to Creole and Garifuna rhythms
- Linked to Caribbean shipping and trade routes
- Protected by regional solidarity in times of political tension
🧭 A Caribbean Mindset, Not Just Geography
People often get stuck thinking the Caribbean = islands.
But CARICOM includes continental countries, too — like Guyana and Suriname, just like Belize.
In fact, the Caribbean isn’t just about where you are on a map.
It’s about:
- How you speak
- How you cook
- How you dance, vote, trade, defend, and celebrate
By that measure, Belize is deeply Caribbean.
You’ll feel it:
- In the patties and plantains
- In the sound of Brukdown and Paranda
- In our shared holidays, news, and cricket scores
🤝 What CARICOM Does for Belize
As a CARICOM member, Belize benefits from:
- Freedom of movement (through the CARICOM Skilled Nationals program)
- Disaster relief coordination
- Support for climate change resilience
- Cultural exchanges and festivals
- Trade agreements and regional business partnerships
Belize also has a strong voice in regional diplomacy, using CARICOM to advocate on:
- The Guatemala border dispute
- Maritime rights
- Economic sovereignty in the face of globalization
The announcement on October 1, 2025, was more than policy — it was identity in motion. Belize, together with Barbados, Dominica, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines, embraced full free movement, allowing citizens to live and work without restrictions. This development grew out of the 2022 protocol on Enhanced Cooperation, proving that CARICOM integration can deepen even when not all members move at the same pace. For Belize, it confirmed what we have long felt: our place is not only in Central America, but firmly in the Caribbean family.
🌊 Belize and the Caribbean Sea: Not Just Metaphor
CARICOM countries share a Caribbean Sea identity, not just access.
Belize is one of the few that can say:
- Our reef protects our coast
- Our sea feeds our villages
- Our music, language, and laws all carry the rhythm of the region
🗣 My Take
I grew up hearing Belize described as “the only English-speaking country in Central America.”
But that line doesn’t tell the whole story.
The way we move, the way we vote, the way we grieve and rejoice — it’s Caribbean at the core.
Yes, we have Maya ruins and jungle.
But we also have reggae on the radio, coconut rice on the stove, and CARICOM in our political bloodstream.
We’re not just on the edge of the Caribbean Sea.
We belong to it.