BELIZE CITY, Mon. Mar. 28, 2022– Oliver del Cid has been appointed as the nation’s first Director of National Security and head of the National Security Directorate, formerly the National Security Council Secretariat. His appointment was announced via a press release issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday, March 24.

Del Cid has served as a career public officer for more than 25 years. He has worked as a Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a diplomat at the Embassy of Belize in Guatemala, Deputy National Security Coordinator, Belize’s Ambassador to Mexico, non-resident High Commissioner to Jamaica, non-resident Ambassador to Haiti, and most recently as Inspector General in the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security.

“The placement of the National Security Directorate under the Office of the Prime Minister and the appointment of a director, the first in more than 20 years, underscores the attention that the Office of the Prime Minister intends to give to national security matters as the country faces existing and emerging security challenges by taking an all-of-government approach through interagency coordination,” a release from the Government of Belize Press Office noted.

Del Cid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Texas State University and a Master’s degree in International Policy and Diplomacy from Staffordshire University.

He also attended the University of Oxford’s Foreign Service Programme as a Chevening scholar and has several times undergone training in national security disciplines throughout the years.