BELIZE CITY, Sun. Mar. 13, 2022– The members of the Belize Network of NGOs (BNN) convened on Friday, March 11, and elected Janelle Chanona to be their next representative in the Senate following the resignation of former senator Osmany Salas who has gone on to work with the World Wildlife Fund. Chanona, who has been the acting Vice President of Oceana Belize since January 2014 and is also a former journalist, received 21 votes out of a possible 31, while candidate Dr. Sharmayne Saunders, nominated by the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association and Haven House, received 10 votes. Chanona was nominated by the National Garifuna Council, the Belize Tourism Industry Association, and the Belize Audubon Society.
“I commit to honouring the vote of confidence that I’ve received today through hard work and inclusive representation…The contributions of the NGO community to national development via multiple sectors is tremendous, and their voices deserve to be amplified in the corridors of power in support of informed decision making and good governance,” said the senator-elect at Friday’s BNN meeting.
Upon being officially sworn in at the next sitting of the Senate, which will take place later this month, Janelle Chanona will become the fifth woman senator. Chanona has stated that while the idea of playing a role in increasing the female representation in the Senate is certainly uplifting, she plans to continue to ensure that such representation is not merely a form of tokenism and hopes that, by means of her new position, she will act as a voice that amplifies the needs of others.
“I certainly was heartened by the fact that regardless of how the pendulum swung today, that the Senate would have gained additional female representation. I don’t see where that has ever hurt in terms of having a female voice and representation in any circle in any quarters, so I am proud to be part of that number,” she stated.