A Brief History

UNDP has been a long-standing development partner to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for over fifty (50) years.   It was established in 1961, and introduced several programmes to develop the people and to establish many institutions to facilitate national growth out of a colonial past.  

The programmes included 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, which today is the backbone of the national economy.

UNDP  was also instrumental in the establishment of institutions such as the 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.

Capacity development within the Public Sector was also a priority in the development decades of the 60s and 70s when Legal Draftsmen, Town Planners, Development Planners, Land and Hydro-graphic Surveyors were trained.

UNDP's current role in Trinidad and Tobago is that of policy advisor and provider of technical support to the Government and the people as required, while coordinating the efforts of the entire UN system.

 What We Do

UNDP’s role has evolved from technical cooperation to that of  partner and provider of policy and knowledge advisory services to the Government.   Its programme of support is based upon the United Nations Development Assistance Framework which is aligned to the country's National Strategic Plan, Vision 2020, and highlights the UNDP focus areas.  

Programming

The programmes include

Poverty

•  Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

• Supporting the diversification of the economy and job creation by targeting non-energy sector development

• Health Sector delivery and capacity building using the United Nations Volunteer modality

• Strengthening the Central Statistical Office and mainstreaming the concept of the Evidence-Based Development

• Strengthening of the Policy and Planning Unit of the Ministry of Education

Governance

• Public Sector Reform, through the integration of Results Based Management elements in various Ministries

• Development of the Local Government Reform

HIV & AIDS

• Establishment of the National AIDS Coordinating Committee (NACC)

Energy & the Environment

• Carbon Emissions

Private Sector Engagement

UNDP has established Public-Private Sector Partnerships in Trinidad and Tobago with the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Manufacturers' Association, and various large and small businesses.   UNDP is a strong advocate for Corporate social Responsibility (CSR) working with these partners to introduce and/ or strengthen their programmes in this field.   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

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 (NCCs). Aruba has not approached UNDP for assistance since 2001. Collaboration with the Netherlands Antilles has been ongoing.

This has been 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.  In 2007 ground work undertaken by UNDP work on Poverty Reduction project for the Netherlands Antilles  was used by the Government as the basis for determining allocations to its poverty reduction programmes and projects, funded by the Non government Organization, Uitvoeringsorganisatie Stichting Ontwikkeling Nederlandse Antillen (USONA).

In 2009, UNDP initiated a new project with the government of the Netherlands Antilles. "Capacity Development for Nation Building in the Netherlands Antilles".

Conclusion 
The steady economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago 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.