A Brief History

UNDP has been present in Trinidad and Tobago for over 40 years. Since 1961, UNDP has been a proud development partner  to the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and has assisted with several national initiatives.  

One such project was the East Coast Seismic Survey, where during the UN Development Decade (1961-1970) UNDP provided technical assistance leading to the discovery of oil and gas in Trinidad and Tobago.

UNDP also provided assistance in capacity development within the Public Sector e.g. Legal Draftsmen, Town Planners, Development Planners, Land and Hydro-graphic Surveyors.

UNDP  was instrumental in the establishment of institutions like, Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), Metal Industries Company (MIC), Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), Environmental Management Authority (EMA), and the Telecommunications Department at the John Donaldson Technical Institute and Hydro-graphic Unit, during a time when important institutions needed to be created to provide opportunities for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

UNDP's current role in Trinidad and Tobago is that of policy advisor and development supporter for the Government, while coordinating the efforts of the entire UN system.

Who we Are & What We Do

UNDP works in five (5) focus areas: Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Energy and the Environment and HIV&AIDS.

UNDP’s role has evolved from technical cooperation to that of  partner and provider of policy and knowledge advisory services to the Government.

Some of the key programmes are:

 Alignment of Vision 2020 with the Millennium Development Goals

• Establishment of the National AIDS Coordination Commitee (NACC)
• Public Sector Reform, through the integration of Results Based Management elements in various Ministries
• Health Sector delivery and capacity building using the United Nations Volunteer modality
• Development of the Local Government Reform paper
• Strengthening of the Policy and Planning Unit of the Ministry of Education
• Strengthening the Central Statistical Office and mainstreaming the concept of the Evidence-Based Development
• Supporting the diversification of the economy and job creation by targeting non-energy sector development

Private Sector Engagement

UNDP aims to develop new Public-Private Sector Partnerships in Trinidad and Tobago with the Chambers of Commerce, the Manufacturers' Association, and various large and small businesses. For more information on UNDP past and future initiatives in this area click here.

UN System Initiatives

Joint initiatives with UN agencies and the Private Sector have been programmes such as Sports for Development (HIV-AIDS and the World Cricket Cup), a partnership between UNDP/UNICEF/ UNAIDS-PAHO/WHO and the West Indian Players Association (WIPA); development of a joint UN programme to cost the implementation of MDGs; and development of of a programme to support the Small and Micro Enterprise Sector has recently been approved and will be rolled out during 2009.

Other Areas of Development

In addition to its portfolio of projects through which support is provided, UNDP also provides advisory services and knowledge products as required to deal with emerging issues as required -  Food security,  Disaster Prevention and Preparedness, the Global Economic Crisis.
 

Currently the Government funds 90% of its development efforts from its domestic resources. The remaining 10% is met form a mixture of grants, loans and technical assistance from multilateral and, to a much lesser extent, bilateral sources. In this resource rich environment, partnerships are critical to avoid duplication of effort.

Given this reality and in line with the UN reform effort the UN System is moving to a joint UN response to the country’s needs  co-operating with its multilateral partners through information sharing and mutual participation on programme and project advisory boards.  UNDP has also developed strong partnerships with the NGO sector and has considerably strengthened its partnership with the national and international private sector in Trinidad and Tobago.

Regional Partners

UNDP, Trinidad and Tobago also serves Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles both of which are Net Contributing Countries (NCC) countries. Aruba has not approached UNDP for assistance since 2001. Collaboration with the Netherlands Antilles has been ongoing.

This has been focused mainly in the area of governance with UNDP providing assistance for strategic planning, financial management and partnering with the Government on major negotiations with international corporations. A major initiative in Poverty Reduction, which began in 2004, was aborted when the funding government, Government of the Netherlands Antilles, withdrew financing on the grounds that the initial programme product, the Quick Scan, was unsatisfactory.

Subsequently, the Quick Scan was used by the Government of the Netherlands as the basis for determining allocations to poverty reduction programmes and projects funded by Uitvoeringsorganisatie Stichting Ontwikkeling Nederlandse Antillen (USONA). The office continues to explore opportunities with the Netherlands Antilles as they assume their new constitutional arrangements.

The economic growth in the country and lack of programme resources from most UN agencies are imposing de facto a need for better integration, coherence and also economies of scale. The MDGs have provided a unifying framework for UN activities in the country. However, harmonizing procedures has been quite challenging since the country is host to a number of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes that have both national and regional commitments.