April 18, 2017: The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, Minister of Planning and Development is officially announcing the first ever collaboration between the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the United Nations to conduct a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support (MAPS) Mission in Trinidad and Tobago. This takes place from Tuesday April 18 to the 25, 2017, with bi-lateral meetings and stakeholder consultations in Tobago on April 24.
The major objective of this important exercise is to engage the Government, national stakeholder groups comprising NGOs, the business sector, civil society groups, environmental groups, academia, development partners, the media and a United Nations team over a seven day period in these sessions to exchange ideas and share experiences to support the integration and the mainstreaming of the Sustainable Development Goals into Trinidad and Tobago’s National Development Strategy 2016-2030, VISION 2030. This is in keeping with the promise of the Government to develop a national strategy for Trinidad and Tobago focusing on national development in alignment with the global SDGs.
In essence, this MAPS Mission will support the Government to accomplish the following:
(i) Support the prioritization and finalization of a SDGs implementation roadmap for Trinidad and Tobago, which will inform the implementation of the SDGs within the context of Vision 2030 and the medium-term plans for the various sectors that will inevitably follow. The roadmap should establish priorities, data requirements, financing and mechanisms for coordination and institutional and sectoral leadership.
(ii) Undertake a needs assessment to ascertain the extent to which technical and financial resources and tools are needed to effectively monitor the indicators at the national and sub-national levels.
Once complete, a Mission Report will be presented, as well as a SDGs Roadmap for Trinidad and Tobago. Elements of the SDGs roadmap for the Government should include the identification of priority areas for development acceleration and pre-Mission research have highlighted the following areas as priority areas for development acceleration;
Economic development:
- Inclusive Economic Growth (labour market reform, decent work, macroeconomic stability, employment)
- Energy Security and Efficiency
- Food Safety and Security
- Tourism Development
- Science, Technology and Innovation Development
- Creative Industries
Social development:
- Health – Non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases (emerging and re-emerging),HIV, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, universal health coverage, injuries, health financing, quality assurance
- Human Capital Development (education and training etc. – early childhood level, youth empowerment training in emerging occupations and lifelong learning, manpower planning, standards and quality across educational levels)
- National Security and Reform of Justice System
- Social Protection and Poverty
Environmental development:
- Environmental Sustainability (biodiversity conservation, ecosystems management, waste management etc.)
- Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management)
- Sustainable Urban and Rural Development
Crosscutting issues:
- Data Quality and Management and Monitoring and Evaluation
- Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
The Government has started moving in this direction in areas of diversification with the initiation of a Global Services Promotion Programme which focuses on making Trinidad and Tobago a global leader in the information technology enabled services sector (ITeS). A call for proposals has been launched in March via a Skills for Global Services Initiative, inviting businesses to partner with educational institutions and training providers to present proposals, develop skills, create jobs and ensure the pipeline of talent our country needs to transform the economy is being invested in. This is a major step in capacity building with the aim of making Trinidad and Tobago a world leader in qualified personnel for global services.
There are also environmental initiatives to help contribute towards a clean and healthy environment where we have already seen achievements in the reduction of ozone depleting gases by working with the refrigeration and air conditioning sector; we are working with stakeholders in the Styrofoam industry to discuss a way forward for the possible elimination of this product in food and beverage containers; a State of the Marine Environment Report with an Action Plan has been approved by Cabinet and will be presented to the public soon; Cabinet has approved our participation in the Nagoya Protocol which will allow us to explore the potential of our flora and fauna as natural medicines, we are moving to enhance our capacity in national recycling among a myriad of other initiatives. This theme is connected to nine of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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For further information please contact:
The Corporate Communications Unit
Ministry of Planning and Development
868-612-9700 ext 2073/4/5