The Permanent Representative of Italy to the Organisation of American States (OAS), Ambassador Roberto Nocella, spoke in Washington during the Permanent Council meeting on 19 March to emphasise how both Guatemala and Belize have given the OAS a leading role in the resolution of their historic territorial dispute, relying on the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
"The mutual confidence-building measures related to the zone of adjacency between the two countries are geared towards the 'empowerment' of local communities, especially women, to combat exclusion and for the development of the territories concerned," Nocera said in his speech, adding that "these initiatives aim to promote cooperation between the respective military forces and the populations of Guatemala and Belize, deactivating possible hotbeds of tension," with the involvement of "the respective development agencies."
The ambassador recalled that "for years, Italy has been contributing to these important tasks by financing the establishment of the 'Ta'Amay' centres (a word of Mayan origin meaning 'tree that grows straight')" and that "these spaces, in addition to being used for vocational training courses, enable the local population to become literate, constituting a point of reference also in relation to the sectors of health, security and access to justice".
"Among the results pursued with the latest Italian financial contribution there is also the opening of a bakery and a bakery in favour of food security," Nocera recalled, concluding that "these are a series of very concrete projects that ensure a territorial presence of peace and development, and, in collaboration with Belize, Guatemala and the OSA, a present and a future of greater trust, which Italy fully supports.
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