NAVCO is an association of the smallest unit of local government in the country of Belize. It is made up of the 193 councils of villages including seven communities. A community is the official designation of settlements that do not meet the official qualification criteria for becoming a village. The Village Councils Act of 1999 formalized the establishment of Village Councils and also mandated the establishment of
an Association of all village councils nationwide. The formal establishment
of Village Councils by the Act bestowed for the first time the opportunity
to citizens in rural areas the right to elect their own leaders to govern their villages. A village council consists of seven persons elected by the
villagers to govern a village for a period of three years and is headed by
a Chairperson.
The Act called for the establishment of an Association at the District and National Levels. At the District level, the village councils in a particular district elect among themselves twelve members to serve on a District Board. A similar process is used at the National level. NAVCO has a Board of Directors, also known as the National Board, made up of twelve members with a term of three years. Each of the six District Associations elect two representatives to the National Board with the
President elected directly. The rationale for establishing the Associations
was to further strengthen the voice of the councils and the people they
represent. These Associations can represent any village council or group of
village councils at forum where they may not have the resources to represent
themselves.
