BELMOPAN–Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Hon. Dean Barrow, has signed a 27 million Euro/BZ$67.5 million National Indicative Programme (NIP) for the period 2014 to 2020 with the European Commission, designed to advance the activities of the Government of Belize in alleviating rural poverty in Belize.

Signing on behalf of the European Commission was the Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs.

The Prime Minister indicated at the signing held in Washington, D.C on Friday, October 10, that this agreement, funded under the European Development Fund (EDF 11), is a signal of confidence by the European Union in the Government of Belize with respect to its development agenda.

Belizeans will benefit from the EDF 11 National Indicative Programme in the sectors of energy and health.

The energy programme is aimed at the provision of energy and supporting services in rural areas. The health programme is designed for improving the organization and management of the health services and the development of disaster-resilient health infrastructure.

The signing of the NIP represents the long-standing relationship between Belize and the European Union in development cooperation. This allocation of BZ$67.5 million is double the amount of the previous EDF 10 Programme, and will continue to significantly contribute to the alleviation of rural poverty in Belize.