The first-ever Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Conservation Trust Fund Community of Practice was held, bringing together the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, Micronesia Conservation Trust, Niue Ocean Wide Trust, SeyCCAT, and our very own Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future!
As our Executive Director Dr. Leandra Cho-Ricketts shared: “It was great to meet other SIDS CTFs who share similar challenges and experiences. We discussed the creation of a Community of Practice to bring SIDS CTFs to the forefront, and how we can engage multilaterals and donors for a place at the table to access funding directly, to mobilize this to communities on the ground.”
With record ocean heat and acidification threatening marine ecosystems worldwide, this collaboration couldn’t be more urgent. The Community of Practice represents a unified force of island nations leading the charge for ocean health.
Together, we’re working to make sure small nations like Belize get the funding they need, and that the money reaches the communities driving local action for our ocean every day.🌐➡️🏝️
This is what ocean leadership looks like: small islands, big impact! 🏝️✨
📌 Special thanks to Kate Brown for capturing the energy of the session.
Participation in Seaside Chat at UNOC
At the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) Seaside Chat, Dr. Leandra Cho-Ricketts shared how Belize is pioneering sustainable ocean management through innovative financing models and data-driven approaches.
She highlighted the Belize Fund as a private Conservation Trust Fund (CTF), established in March 2022 to manage conservation payments from Belize’s Blue Bond. As the first CTF of its kind born from a sovereign Blue Bond deal, the Fund serves as a critical financing mechanism to help Belize meet its marine conservation and blue economy goals, operating with transparent, independent governance and aligned with national strategies such as the Marine Spatial Plan and Blue Economy Strategy.
Dr. Cho-Ricketts emphasized the importance of ocean accounts in tracking progress, ensuring transparency, and unlocking sustainable financing opportunities. These data systems support measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of investments and pave the way for emerging financing mechanisms like blue carbon and biodiversity credits.
She also outlined the Fund’s impact to date:
- US$12.9M approved, US$7.7M disbursed toward marine conservation;
- Support for 14 marine protected areas (612,995 hectares);
- Engagement of 48 communities, with targeted grant windows for women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples;
- Implementation of 27 projects and 1 Strategic Government Allocation.
In advancing 30×30 and ocean finance, the Belize Fund goes beyond project funding, it enables systems change and multi-stakeholder governance. This includes financing for participatory marine spatial planning, legal designations of biodiversity zones, enforcement, ecosystem restoration, and community-based solutions aligned with national and global frameworks.
She concluded with an important lesson: Getting funds to the ground is complex, requiring flexible and adaptive mechanisms to remain fit-for-purpose.