Attachments
Key Figures
1,774 Refugees and asylum-seekers live in Belize, mainly from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
180 refugees and asylum-seekers received legal assistance and counselling through UNHCR and partners.
42 Asylum-seekers received cash-based assistance from UNHCR to access documentation and other basic needs.
Context
In December, Belize hosted the seventh Annual Meeting of the Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS), focusing on durable solutions for asylum-seekers, refugees, and forcibly displaced persons. UNHCR’s High Commissioner attended the event and praised Belize’s efforts to enhance protection policies during its pro-tempore presidency. The country handed over the presidency to Costa Rica to lead the regional MIRPS response in 2025.
Belize’s Amnesty Programme provides asylum-seekers with a tangible path to citizenship. By the end of 2024, Belize had granted Amnesty to 492 asylum-seekers, and UNHCR has assisted 168 applicants in covering the costs of their permanent residency IDs.
Belize ended child marriage by amending the Marriage Bill, raising the legal age from 16 to 18. The Minister of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous People stated that this change will promote gender equality and reduce health risks for teenagers.