Belize is among six finalists named by the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group) for its Superheroes of Development 2026, an award that highlights lessons learned from the financial institution’s financed initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IDB said that the selected projects stand out for transforming complex challenges into opportunities to generate impact, draw lessons, and develop replicable solutions in the region.
‘The finalist projects span a wide range of sectors and approaches: from digital connectivity and education to transportation infrastructure, energy transition, and resilience. Each provides valuable insights into how to overcome implementation obstacles and maximize impact for beneficiaries and their communities,’ it added.
The Belize submission is entitled ‘Teaching Through a Pandemic: Belize’s Online Shift Reaches More Teachers and Narrows Gaps Between Boys and Girls ‘ and it joins other finalists from Paraguay, Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Colombia.
The six projects compete in two categories. The first is for IDB and IDB Lab projects that are currently in progress or finished after January 2016. The second is for IDB Invest projects that have an Expanded Supervision Report or are in the process of obtaining one.
The IDB said that the lessons from the three winning projects will be shared widely to strengthen the design, implementation, and evaluation of future operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Washington-based financial institution said that the finalist teams will present their experiences on October 6 to a panel of high-level IDB Group leaders in Washington and that former Argentine soccer player Javier Zanetti will attend the ceremony.
‘In this World Cup year, Superheroes of Development has channeled the spirit of the world’s most popular sport to recognize the teams that take to the field to improve lives in the region,’ it added.