Anti-corruption education and awareness to be held in Belize

Posted: Monday, October 30, 2017. 1:51 p.m. CST.

By BBN Staff: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Attorney General Ministry of Belize will be delivering training on values for children November 1-3 in various public primary schools across the country.

On International Anti-Corruption Day last year, Dec 9^th,  Belize took a historic step by signing its accession to the United Nations’ Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), becoming the 182^nd country in the world to sign onto this international agreement.

 As part of the UNCAC implementation process, numerous activities will be held across the country to build awareness among and actively engage youth, women, civil society and other relevant stakeholders on corruption.

To lead up to the commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day 2017, a series of activities are planned, including anti-corruption school trainings, essay contest, TV talk shows, a national symposium featuring national and regional experts, and the launch of a study on gender and corruption.

The training on values for children will be delivered as an effort to reach out to all citizens on this vital development issue.

To engage younger children, international expert Debra Rodriguez, based in Panama with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will come to Belize to facilitate these trainings in primary schools.

The approach uses cartoons, a specially designed coloring book, fuzzy characters, and talent shows organized by the children themselves to talk about core values which tend to prevent and protect people from engaging in corruption.

The Values Program is designed for children between the ages of 5 to 9 years.

 The values that it promotes are:  honesty, tolerance, liberty, gratitude, solidarity, justice, responsibility, loyalty, respect and generosity.

To engage students, UNODC provides them with a colouring book which depicts these 10 values through pictures and words.

The trainings will be held initially at public schools in Belmopan, Dangriga, Pomona Village and Hattieville.

An expected total of 243 students will participate, throughout the three days.

At the end of the training, the children will have gained a better understanding of these values, situations where they may need to practise them, and how exercising these values can contribute to good citizenship.

This activity contributes to fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 16,  “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels,” which calls for a substantial reduction in corruption and bribery in all their forms.

Nationally, the activity fits into the wider Growth and Sustainable Development Strategy (GSDS) of Belize, as its Critical Success Factor 4  supports the enhancement of governance to reduce corruption.

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