Identification of Adaptation Priorities and Development of Belize’s Multisectorial National Adaptation Plan (MNAP)

Belize is a small but ecologically rich country whose economy, largely dependent on tourism, agriculture and fisheries, is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying coastal geography, exposure to hurricanes, sea-level rise and ecosystem degradation. These risks threaten key economic sectors, infrastructure and livelihoods, particularly in coastal and rural communities. Although Belize has made progress in developing climate policies and strategies -such as the National Climate Change Policy, Strategy and Action Plan and updated NDCs- and is increasingly integrating adaptation into sectoral planning, the country still faces challenges related to limited financial resources, institutional coordination and data availability.

In this context, the project aims to strengthen national capacities to develop a child-sensitive and gender-transformative Multisectoral National Adaptation Plan (MNAP). Specifically, it seeks to identify and prioritize adaptation solutions across five key sectors (land use and infrastructure, tourism, human health, agriculture and forestry), develop a roadmap integrating the results of vulnerability and social assessments, and prepare an inclusive adaptation plan that addresses the needs of youth, women, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups.