1 month ago
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The Ministry of Immigration, Refugees Department, UNHCR the UN Refugee Agency and the Government of Japan have launched a new initiative to strengthen Belize’s asylum system by implementing innovative digital solutions, improving data management and collection, strengthening legal framework and reinforcing protection safeguards in line with international standards. The key component of the project is the development and rollout of a secure digital system to manage asylum cases. The system will modernize registration and case processing, improve the accuracy and reliability of data, and strengthen preparedness for increased asylum needs, while ensuring confidentiality and data protection. Ambassador Ryosuke Yamakura of the Embassy of Japan spoke on the importance of the partnership and relationship shared with Belize and Japan.
Ryosuke Yamakura, Ambassador of Japan: “It is a privilege to join you today for the launch of this important initiative aimed at strengthening the Belize asylum system through innovation, improved data management and protection mechanisms. The Government of Japan is proud to partner with the UNHCR and the Government of Belize in supporting efforts that promote fair, efficient asylum procedures in Belize. At a time when displacement continues to affect many communities across the world strengthening national protection systems is essential to ensuring that those in need of protection and are treated with dignity and in accordance with international standards. Through this initiative Japan is supporting the development of a secure digital system and manage asylum cases in Belize that will modernize the registration and case processing improved accuracy and reliability of data. And enhanced preparedness to responding evolving asylum needs while ensuring that protection and confidentiality sensitive information. By strengthening national protection systems we can help to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are able to access their rights, safety and dignity while contributing their skills, labor and cultural capacity to the communities that host them. Japan values its long standing friendship with Belize and remains committed to working closely with our partners to support initiatives that strengthen and uphold human dignity.”
Also speaking at yesterday’s event were Kareem Musa Minister of Immigration, Governance and Labour and Morgan Courteney, the Socio-Protection Officer of the UN Refugee Agency.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration: “Today we are joined by the ambassador of Japan representing the government and people of Japan as well as the UNHCR in Belize who as you know have been a critical partner for Belize since the 1980s in assisting with asylum seekers and refugees coming to Belize and establishing and integrating into Belize. They have been a huge help for us over at the Ministry of Immigration, so much so that Belize is considered to be a model of best practices when it comes to refugees here in this particular region. And so we are very grateful for the assistance coming from the Government of Japan and UNHCR because it means that we’ll have greater capacity building, greater training of our personnel and the increase in the personnel over at Refugees Department as well, the updating of our Refugees Act, which is decades old, and likewise the incorporation of the digitalization aspect and the case management reporting and digitalization of cases so that we can have that sort of data comparison and analysis and of course have secure data when it comes to refugees and asylum seekers here in Belize.”
Morgan Courteney, Socio Protection Officer, UN Refugee Agency: “So this project we’re really excited about because with the generosity of the Government of Japan, we’re able to support the Government of Belize to modernize their case management system. So the Refugees Department has a really quite a good system. They currently process asylum applications. And with this support from Japan we’re able to take that system and bring it into the 21st century, completely modernize it, make sure everything is digital, to improve the efficiency of the system. In addition we are working on strengthening the legislation. Belize already has quite good legislation in terms of refugee protection, but we are working to just tweak it a little bit, get it to meet completely international standards, and again, with the generosity of the Japanese, we’re able to do these things.”
This project is being funded by the Government of Japan, which is contributing USD 667,000 to support the initiative and ensure its successful implementation.
English (US) ·