BELIZE Law and Practice Contributed by: Nigel Ebanks and Darinka Muñoz, Barrow and Williams LLP
• the original award or a copy thereof duly authenticated in the manner required by the law of the country in which it was made; • evidence proving that the award has become final; and • such evidence as may be necessary to prove that the award is a foreign award and that the conditions mentioned above are satisfied. Convention Awards Convention awards may, by leave of the High Court, be enforced in the same manner as a judgment or order to the same effect. Enforce- ment of a Convention award may be refused if the person against whom it is invoked proves that: • a party to the arbitration agreement was (under the law applicable to them) under some incapacity; • the arbitration agreement was not valid under the law to which the parties subjected it or, failing any indication of this, under the law of the country where the award was made; • they were not given proper notice of the appointment of the arbitrator or of the arbitra- tion proceedings, or were otherwise unable to present their case; • the award deals with a difference not con- templated by or not falling within the terms of the submission to arbitration, or contains decisions on matters beyond the scope of the submission to arbitration; • the composition of the arbitral authority or the arbitral procedure was not in accordance with the agreement of the parties or, failing such agreement, with the law of the country where the arbitration took place; or • the award has not yet become binding on the parties, or has been set aside or suspended by a competent authority of the country
in which, or under the law of which, it was made. Enforcement of a Convention award may also be refused if the award is in respect of a matter that is not capable of settlement by arbitration, or if it would be contrary to public policy to enforce the award. 14. Outlook 14.1 Proposals for Dispute Resolution Reform There are no current proposals for any dispute resolution reform. However, the Essential Ser- vices Arbitration Tribunal has recently been reconvened to settle trade disputes related to essential services, in accordance with the Settle- ment of Disputes (Essential Services) Act, 2020. The act may apply to various essential services, such as: • electricity services; • health services; • hospital services; • monetary and financial services; • telecommunication services; In September 2024, the Judicial Education Institute of the Senior Courts of Belize hosted a “Judicial Settlement Conference Toolkit and Skills” workshop, as part of a broader initiative to enhance dispute resolution and address the backlog of civil cases. This conference was an active step towards reforming dispute resolution in Belize, focusing on training judges, registrars and attorneys in mediation and settlement prac- tices. • telephone services; • water services; and • postal services.
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