PRESS RELEASE

RESTRUCTURED SEPTEMBER CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE CONVENES INAUGURAL MEETING

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Belize City, Belize, Monday, June 15th, 2009 --- September is a festive time of the year in Belize. It is the time of year we celebrate our history, our culture, and our sovereignty. This small and independent country has much to be proud of as we celebrate our 211th Anniversary of the Battle of St. George's Caye and the 28th Anniversary of Belize as an independent nation.

On Monday, the September Celebrations Committee convened a meeting in an effort to formalize its new structure, outline its roles and responsibilities as well as fine tune its operations. The restructured Committee which was conceptualized from a Cabinet Paper submitted to Cabinet in March, 2009 was approved by Cabinet and ratified by members present at this inaugural meeting of the Committee.

The September Celebrations Committee now falls under the stewardship of the National Institute of Culture and History. While the Committee will be chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture, Honorable Manuel Heredia, Jr., in his absence meetings will be facilitated by the President of NICH, Ms. Diane Haylock. As well there will be a one year transition of the secretariat from the Belize Tourism Board over to the National Institute of Culture. The September Celebrations Committee executive committee will be comprised of the following: Finance (Ministry of Tourism); Protocol (Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Programming (NICH); Marketing and Public Relations(Belize Tourism Board); Culture and History (NICH); Logistics & Security (Belize City Council) and District Representation. It must be noted that the efforts of the committee is to ensure that the celebrations being planned countrywide are reflective of the real reason for the celebration. In this new structure all nine municipalities have a seat on the September Celebrations Committee. This is also to ensure that the planning of the national celebrations is done in a more holistic manner that will be truly a national one as was promised in the Government's Manifesto. Following this year's September Celebrations this Committee is expected to evolve into a National Celebrations Committee that plans, in collaboration with key stakeholders, all major celebratory events.

An Advisory Council will also be convened so as to provide the September Celebrations Committee with guidance and advice as needed. The Advisory Council will be comprised of the St. George's Caye Day Society, the two political parties, the Council of Churches, the Police Department, the Ministry of Education and the Media Association.

An Events Association and Sub Committee will also be convened to look directly at activities to be included in the calendar of events. Individuals and organizations wanting to include an activity in the calendar will liaise directly with this sub-committee. Stakeholders in this area include: Carnival Association, Pageants Committee, Children's Rally, Military and Police Tattoo, Expo, District representation and other event planners and organizers. An event criterion will be formulated by the September Celebrations Committee which will be used as a guideline to qualify and quantify requests for events to be included on the Official Celebrations Calendar.

For more information on the September Celebrations Committee and activates being planned for 2009 please feel free to call the Secretariat at telephone 227-2485 or Co-Chair Diane Haylock at tel: 227-0518 at your convenience. Or email us at septembercelebrationsbze@yahoo.com

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