Caribbean nations have taken a significant step towards strengthening their digital resilience and safeguarding the digital foundations of government continuity. These issues were placed firmly on the regional agenda in Belize City, on June 2 and 3, 2026. Co-organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Government of Belize, the event was convened under the auspices of  the Honourable John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize. Twelve Caribbean delegations led by Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Directors expressed their support for advancing cooperation on Data Embassies. Participating countries and those unable to attend have been asked to indicate their official endorsement of  the Declaration of Belize City. The Declaration constitutes a landmark step in regional cooperation. It is the first multilateral policy document on Data Embassies, reflecting a shared interest and commitment among Caribbean nations to explore Data Embassies as a sovereign digital resilience solution against natural disasters, cyber threats, infrastructure failures and other disruptions .

Technical Workshop and Policy Dialogue

Over two days, and within the mandate of the eLAC Digital Agenda, the dialogue combined a full-day technical workshop on Data Embassies as a resilience solution for small island developing States (SIDS), with a high-level policy exchange. Delegations reaffirmed their support for the ECLAC Caribbean Data Embassies Coalition and identified priority areas for advancing work on digital resilience including consideration of a regional framework agreement. 

A Sovereign Pathway to Digital Resilience

Data Embassies — diplomatic-status arrangements that grant sovereign jurisdiction over servers located abroad — offer SIDS a legally robust mechanism to ensure continuity of government in the face of climate shocks, cyber risks and infrastructure vulnerabilities. The model, initially developed through ECLAC's technical research (LC/TS.2025/99), has now emerged as a timely instrument for regional cooperation and policy development in the Caribbean.

From Technical Proposal to Operationalisation

The Declaration represents a critical milestone in addressing digital resilience and data sovereignty in the Caribbean. In recent months, ECLAC has supported the process through research, technical studies and policy dialogue assessing the feasibility of the model for the Caribbean's small island developing States. Endorsement of the Declaration of Belize City will be in keeping with national processes. It establishes the shared foundation upon which will be developed a subsequent phase focused on advancing the institutional, legal and technical frameworks required to translate the concept into an operational tool for Caribbean countries.