In 2018, the Government of Belize recognized the need to address the violence and discrimination in our society, and committed to introduce comprehensive  anti-discrimination legislation protecting all Belizeans during the third cycle of its Universal Periodic Review.

Immediately afterwards, a Steering Committee, led by the National AIDS Commission, was formed to guide and oversee the development of an Equal Opportunities Bill, comprising representatives from the Human Rights Commission of Belize, the Ministry of Human Development, the Office of the Special Envoy for Women and Children, the Ministry of Health, the Office of the Ombudsman, the National Committee for Families and Children, the Belize Council of Churches, the Attorney General’s Ministry, as well as civil society organizations representing marginalized groups.

What followed was the convening of a team of legislative drafters from the Caribbean, and international experts on anti-discrimination legislation from Australia, England, and Scotland, who embarked on a process of wide-ranging research, consultation and drafting to develop the draft Equal Opportunities Bill based on the CARICOM Anti-Discrimination Model Bill.

A consultation process engaging both the general public and key stakeholders was then undertaken by the Steering Committee, providing all those who have an interest in this subject the opportunity to be involved and to comment on the proposals in the Bill.

Key stakeholders were engaged in August 2019, November-December 2019, and January-February 2020. Public consultation meetings spanning 8 days, between 11 and 18 January 2020, also took place in all six districts of Belize, following a period granted for interested parties to submit written submissions to the National AIDS Commission for consideration by the Steering Committee. The stakeholders consulted during this period were: