Belize

This third Trade Policy Review of Belize has provided us with the opportunity to better understand Belize’s trade and investment policies as well as the changes introduced to them since the last Review in 2010. I would like to thank H.E. Ambassador Dylan Vernon and the rest of the Belizean delegation for their constructive engagement throughout this exercise. I would also like to thank our discussant H.E. Ambassador Peter Matt Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein for his comprehensive and insightful remarks as well as the 16 delegations which have taken the floor for their active participation.

Belize is a small economy with the lowest population density in Central America (377968 people in 2016 in a total land area of 22966 km2). It is an upper-middleincome country with GDP per capita at US$4757 in 2015. Given its limited domestic market trade is particularly important for the economy (imports and exports combined amounted to 129% of GDP in 2015).