The Ministry of Planning and Development is announcing for public information that Trinidad and Tobago’s firstVoluntary National Review (VNR) on Sustainable Development to the United Nation’s High Level Political Forum (HLPF) will be presented on Wednesday July 15, 2020 from 2:30 pm to 3 pm via video conferencing.
Her Excellency Pennelope Beckles, Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations in New York is presenting the Report on behalf of the Government, bringing her extensive diplomatic experience with the United Nations and the SDGs to the fore. The live stream link is available to the public at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2020.
The VNRs share each UN member state’s experiences, successes, challenges and lessons learned within the last 1-2 years with the aim of accelerating the implementation of the global Sustainable Development Agenda through the next 10 years. This Review is part of the follow up mechanisms for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encouraging member states to ‘conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national level, which are country-led and country-driven’ according to the UN.
Participation in the VNR is voluntary and Trinidad & Tobago’s presentation emphasizes the Government’s dedication to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals, which are also the driving force behind Trinidad and Tobago’s National Development Strategy, VISION 2030.
Consultations were conducted with the business sector, youth, NGOs, Government sector institutions and community groups as well as academia in a first phase before COVID-19 restrictions. Close to 100,000 engagements were attained via social media, with an online survey meeting a target of 1,000 responses during the COVID-19 restrictions, gathering data on citizens’ views regarding Trinidad and Tobago’s progress in achieving the SDGs.
The Ministry of Planning and Development is the coordinating body for the VNR with support from UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN ECLAC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), T&T’s UN Office as well as civil society networks and organisations across T&T.
Ambassador Beckles is confident that despite challenges faced in some sectors, T&T’s Review will be positive since there have been achievements in addressing climate change with a recently updated Green Gas Inventory to measure T&T’s emissions; there have been significant improvements in the health sector with a decrease in the infant mortality rate, a new automated permitting system for the construction sector, DevelopTT, is being piloted to increase T&T’s Ease of Doing Business Index; the transformation of the Central Statistical Office to the National Statistical Institute (NSITT) is in train and a sophisticated system for licensing, motor vehicle and road safety as well as the introduction of a demerit point system is underway.