Belize Hosts Major AI and Cybersecurity Conference in Belize City

Discussions surrounding artificial intelligence and cybersecurity dominated the national conversation today, as multiple events focusing on the rapidly evolving digital landscape were held across the country. Among them was a major conference hosted by the Ministry of E-Governance at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City titled “Cybersecurity in the Age of AI,” which brought together regional and international partners to examine emerging digital threats and Belize’s readiness to confront them.  The event was held in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, the Embassy of the Republic of China Taiwan in Belize, the Central Information Technology Office, CITO, and the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.  Among those participating in the opening session was U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Katherine Beamer, who joined cybersecurity experts and government officials in highlighting the growing importance of protecting digital infrastructure as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into everyday life and government systems.

Katharine Beamer, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires: “This conference is a sign that Belize is serious about the fight and cybersecurity is a fight we must win. Last year Belize’s High Court faced a serious cyber attack which was part of a pattern affecting countries across our region. Cybersecurity isn’t abstract. It’s about protecting your sovereignty, your economy, your critical infrastructure, and most importantly, your people. It’s fundamental to the security and prosperity of the Lees and the entire Western Hemisphere. Under President Trump’s leadership the United States is reasserting our role in this region. We will not allow non hemispheric competitors to control strategically vital assets including Belize’s cyber infrastructure and digital sovereignty. We are not interested in programs that look good on paper but don’t accomplish anything. We’re here for results. We want a Belize that can detect, prevent and recover form cyber incidents now and in the future.”

Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of E-Governance, Jose Urbina, also addressed attendees, speaking on the broader impact of artificial intelligence and the opportunities and challenges it presents for national development. CEO Urbina emphasized that while AI can improve efficiency and innovation, countries like Belize must also ensure that safeguards are in place to protect citizens and critical systems.

Jose Urbina, CEO, Ministry of E Governance: “Today, what we’re hosting here at the Biltmore Plaza is a cybersecurity conference. Cybersecurity in the age of AI, whose objective is to really share information as it relates to cybersecurity threat, the cybersecurity environment to both private sector and public sector stakeholders. As you well appreciated earlier today, the room is filled which we are happy to see we got an excellent response from the public today in attending this important topic as it relates to how do we protect data, how do we mitigate cyber threats and so on. Cybersecurity really looks at how do we protect personal data, how do we protect systems that we classify as very important or critical infrastructure. So when we look at cybersecurity it sets a series of steps that need to be taken or adopted in the forms of policy or in the forms of frameworks that need to be adopted to ensure the proper protection of data. That is really the essence. The role of AI within the context is twofold. As we all know, AI can be used as a tool to leverage and further protect systems. We also need to understand how the bad actors use AI to improve their attack surface within the cybersecurity ecosystem. Because it is twofold, the purpose of what we’re doing today also includes how do we leverage AI to improve our security posture in country and also recognizing the threats that come along from the use of AI tools to penetrate different networks.”

Also present at today’s event was Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize, Amino Chi.