The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin was among guests attending the unveiling of a community mural in the Adjacency Zone between Belize and Guatemala.
The mural was created created by young people from the Zone to promote a culture of peace and the environmental protection of the Mopan River. The ceremony was also attended by Belize Foreign Affairs MInister, Francis Fonseca, and his Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado. The Adjacency Zone between Belize and Guatemala is a territorial strip 213 kilometers long and two kilometers wide and was established in 2000 as a key confidence-building measure to preserve stability, dialogue, and peace during the process to resolve the territorial dispute between the two countries.
Through the Office of the General Secretariat in the Adjacency Zone, the OAS maintains a continuous presence dedicated to preventive diplomacy, security, and social development.
The OAS said that the mural is the result of the artistic project developed within the framework of the binational youth communication programme ‘La Zona / The Zone’ and its innovation laboratory, ‘La Zona Lab,’ implemented by the OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone.
It said that the initiative brought together 17 young participants and encompassed the assessment of local problems, the collaborative design, and the painting of the mural, integrating cultural and natural elements representative of the communities of Benque Viejo and Arenal.
During his address to the ceremony, Ramdin highlighted how art, youth, and the presence of the OAS on the ground transform coexistence and build a lasting culture of peace between the two countries.
‘Community development is fundamental. If it is only about negotiations and dialogue, it is not enough; people want to see this result in an improvement in their lives. Involving young people in a peace process is critical. Ownership is needed at that level,’ h
‘This is the best way to guarantee peace and collaboration between both sides. The value lies in the sustainability of this process for the consolidation of peace,’ he added.
Belize and Guatemala have a long-standing territorial dispute with Guatemala claiming more than 11,000 square kilometers of Belizean land, islands and maritime areas.
In March 2000, Belize and Guatemala resumed discussions on their territorial dispute with the assistance of the OAS and on November 8, 2000, they signed the first Agreement on Confidence Building Measures, establishing an ‘Adjacency Line’ and a one-kilometer ‘Adjacency Zone’ on either side.