2.1 THE BELIZE FACTOR Ecological diversity and a profusion of terrestrial and marine species make Belize a key part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. The country can claim an impressive 300-kilometre-long barrier reef, part of the 900-kilometre Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System that runs from Cancun on the north-eastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula through the Riviera Maya to Honduras. It is Belize's top tourist attraction, celebrated around the world as an exceptional scuba diving and snorkelling experience. Rounding out this triumvirate of world-class attractions are the Maya ruins of Belize, including a number of renowned and historically important pre-Columbian Maya archaeological sites, all part of the Mesoamerican Culture Area. These are rare and coveted endowments in a world where increasing numbers of people seek ecologically and environmentally appealing vistas in which to live, play, work and/or invest. Yet, there are disturbing reports that key elements of this invaluable national patrimony are being harmed through man-made and environmental interventions. While the linkage to a National E-Government Policy might not be apparent at first blush, the growing need for the Government of Belize to find creative ways to protect the national birth right in the interest of future generations simply cannot be ignored. Indeed, Belize’s diversity as a nation extends to its population, which is comprised of many races, ethnic mixtures, cultures and languages. Belize is the only country to hold full membership in three key regional organisations: CARICOM, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Central American Integration System (SICA). 2.2 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT Mirroring the variety inherent in its national makeup, Belize’s economy is driven by a mix of factor-based or ‘primary’ activities in the areas of forestry, agriculture, fishing, and oil and gas; ‘secondary’ activities including energy, construction, and manufacturing; and services within the ‘tertiary sector’, mainly in the area of tourism. There is room for significant upgrade of the country’s knowledge, skills, capacity and technological capability in the primary and secondary sectors of economic activity through the creative application of new digital information and communication technologies, products and services, located largely in the ‘tertiary’ sector of economic activity. Indeed, traditional primary and secondary sectors might leverage services and/or experiences from the ‘tertiary’ sector to supplement and add value to core products and production processes, thus also strengthening and extending the ‘tertiary’ or services sector as a whole. This movement up the value chain in all sectors might be enabled by the digital technology revolution, with the potential to unleash innovation within both the public and private sectors in the interest of national economic and social development. This is particularly significant given the fact that from an economic point of view, the World Bank classifies Belize as a lower-middle-income developing country. While the country is reported to have the second highest per capita income in Central America, that figure conceals the significant income disparity between rich and poor. Independent assessments suggest more than four of ten people in Belize live in poverty. Based on the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) 2013 Human Development Report (HDR) and Human Development Index (HDI), Belize’s score of 0.702 ranks it at No. 96 out of 187 countries in the world, above the average of 0.64 for countries in the medium human development group but below the average of 0.741 for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNDP, HDR, Explanatory Note on Belize, 2013, pp. 3). The following 31