At the end of August, the Prime Minister was reluctant to sign, but under the pressure of trying to end the 11 day teachers' strike, he committed to doing so by December 9. Well, the Cabinet has reconsidered and they will speed up the process.

A release from Cabinet says that in their meeting today, the members agreed that Belize would accede directly to the UNCAC. This moves up the timeline of bringing the convention into force. The plan was that the Prime Minister would sign on the Instrument of Accession on December 9, and the Senate would still have to approve it at a later date. That would have delayed its ratification, meaning that it would not be in full force. With this new plan, the Senate is being expected to approve a motion authorizing accession at the earliest convenience. The Government's explanation is that when that happens, the treaty will be in full force on December 9, when the Prime Minister will sign and submit the Instrument of Accession.