Transforming Local Economic Opportunities: The European Union-funded ILO PROSPER Project Officially Launched in Southern Belize – EEAS

PROSPER Project Launch Report: Advancing Sustainable Development Goals in Belize

1.0 Executive Summary

On 30 October 2025, the PROSPER (Participation, Ownership, and Sustainable Progress for Economic Resilience) project was officially launched in Yemeri Grove, Belize. This four-year, BZD 8.9 million initiative is a strategic partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO), the European Union (EU), and the Government of Belize. The project is designed to advance key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by fostering inclusive economic growth and sustainable livelihoods for communities in the Toledo and Stann Creek districts. Its core focus on entrepreneurship, skills training, and value chain enhancement directly targets the reduction of poverty and inequality.

2.0 Project Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The PROSPER project is intrinsically linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its design and objectives contribute directly to several SDGs, with a primary focus on creating decent work and fostering economic resilience.

• SDG 1 (No Poverty): The project aims to alleviate multidimensional poverty in southern Belize by creating sustainable livelihoods and strengthening local economic foundations.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): As a central theme, the project promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth by supporting entrepreneurship and job creation aligned with the ILO’s Decent Work principles and Belize’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP).
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): By specifically targeting youth, women, and indigenous groups, the initiative seeks to promote social and economic inclusion, reducing disparities within and among communities.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The emphasis on promoting entrepreneurship among women is a direct contribution to their economic empowerment.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The project exemplifies a multi-stakeholder partnership, uniting international organizations, regional bodies, and national government to achieve shared development objectives.

3.0 Stakeholder Contributions and Commitments

The launch event highlighted a unified commitment from all partners to achieve sustainable development outcomes through collaborative action.

1. International Labour Organization (ILO): The ILO representative underscored the project’s alignment with Belize’s DWCP. The organization’s technical support will focus on employment creation and capacity building to advance SDG 8 and SDG 10 in rural communities.
2. European Union (EU): The EU representative emphasized the partnership’s role in promoting inclusive, people-centered development. A call was made for all stakeholders to engage in dialogue and share resources, reinforcing the importance of SDG 17 for achieving innovation and growth.
3. Government of Belize: Representatives from the Ministry of Economic Transformation and the Ministry of Rural Transformation confirmed the project’s synergy with national priorities. They highlighted the “bottom-up” approach, empowering local communities to drive their own transformations, which is critical for sustainable development and addressing challenges such as youth unemployment and poverty.

4.0 Strategic Objectives and SDG Impact

The PROSPER initiative will be implemented through four key strategic objectives, each designed to produce a measurable impact on the SDGs.

• Strengthen institutional and community capacities for sustainable livelihoods: This objective directly supports SDG 1 by building local resilience against economic shocks.
• Promote entrepreneurship, especially among youth, women, and indigenous groups: This action advances SDG 5, SDG 8, and SDG 10 by fostering inclusive participation in the economy.
• Support job creation aligned with decent work principles: This is a core mechanism for achieving the targets of SDG 8.
• Foster social dialogue and partnerships across public, private, and community actors: This objective reinforces the framework of SDG 17, ensuring collaborative and durable development outcomes.

Analysis of SDGs in the PROSPER Project Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on the PROSPER project in Belize addresses several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its focus on economic empowerment, social inclusion, and partnership. The primary SDGs identified are:

• SDG 1: No Poverty: The project directly aims to combat poverty by creating “sustainable livelihoods” and addressing the “challenging situations of- multidimensional poverty” in southern Belize.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: By “supporting skills training,” the project contributes to lifelong learning opportunities, specifically focusing on vocational and technical skills for employment.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The initiative explicitly targets the economic empowerment of women by aiming to “promote entrepreneurship, especially among youth, women, and indigenous groups.”
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: This is a central theme of the project. It aims to foster “inclusive economic growth,” “employment creation,” “local entrepreneurship,” and is aligned with Belize’s “Decent Work Country Programme.”
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The project seeks to reduce inequalities by focusing on social and economic inclusion for marginalized communities, specifically mentioning the promotion of entrepreneurship among “indigenous groups” and advancing “social inclusion in rural communities.”
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The project itself is a model of partnership, being a joint initiative of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the European Union (EU), and the Government of Belize. The article emphasizes this, stating, “sustainable development cannot be achieved in isolation” and calls for stakeholders to “come together in a spirit of partnership.”

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the project’s objectives and activities described in the article, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. The article’s mention of addressing “multidimensional poverty” directly relates to this target.
2. Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. The project’s component of “supporting skills training” is a direct contribution to this target.
3. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. The project’s goal to “promote entrepreneurship, especially among… women” supports their economic participation and empowerment.
4. Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The project’s entire framework, which includes “building local entrepreneurship,” “supporting skills training,” and “job creation aligned with decent work principles,” aligns perfectly with this target.
5. Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training. The project’s focus on tackling “youth unemployment” in southern Belize is a direct response to the challenge outlined in this target.
6. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The initiative’s specific mention of promoting entrepreneurship among “indigenous groups” and fostering “social inclusion in rural communities” connects directly to this target.
7. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The project’s structure as a collaboration between the ILO, EU, and the Government of Belize, and its call to “foster social dialogue and partnerships across public, private, and community actors,” exemplifies this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

While the article is about the launch of the project and does not provide specific metrics, it mentions or implies several indicators that could be used to measure its success:

• Reduction in multidimensional poverty rate: The article acknowledges that “statistics speak to challenging situations of- multidimensional poverty.” An implied indicator for Target 1.2 would be a measured decrease in this statistic in the Toledo and Stann Creek districts.
• Youth unemployment rate: The project’s focus on “youth unemployment” implies that a key indicator for Target 8.6 will be the reduction of this rate in the project areas.
• Number of new enterprises created: To measure progress on Target 8.3, an indicator would be the number of new local businesses established. This can be further disaggregated to measure progress on Targets 5.5 and 10.2 by tracking the number of enterprises created by women and indigenous persons.
• Number of individuals with new skills: For Target 4.4, a direct indicator would be the number of people who complete the “skills training” programs offered by the project.
• Number of sustainable livelihoods and jobs created: A primary indicator for the project’s overall success and its contribution to SDG 8 would be the total number of “sustainable livelihoods” and new jobs created that adhere to “decent work principles.”
• Number and quality of partnerships formed: For Target 17.17, progress could be measured by the number of public, private, and community actors actively engaged in the project and the effectiveness of their collaboration.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: eeas.europa.eu