Bi-annual Newsletter 2020
PHOTO CREDIT: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
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CONTENTS The Fight against COVID-19: Leaving No One Behind UN Response to COVID-19
UN launches Webinars as Safe Space to talk Socio-Econom
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Promoting Education over Fears: UN launches Learning at
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UN joins Rally to empower Women through International W
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The Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Arts Community Violence
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The UN works to support Migrants Needs through Displac
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UN and Central Statistics Office to launch 2020 Multiple In
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Ministry of Planning and Development partakes in Govern
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The Government and the UN work to build Resilience of Fis
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Funding the Future of the SDGs: The UN applies for the Joi
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UN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
mic impact of COVID-19
t Home Campaign
Women’s Day March
s works with UN to launch CIMP Project to eliminate
cement Tracking Matrix
ndicator Cluster Survey
nment Re-orientation Session
sherfolk through CC4FISH Project
int SDG Fund UN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BI- ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
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THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19: LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND The Office of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) for Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba is the oldest public health Agency in the world (Pan American Sanitary Bureau founded in 1902) a specialized technical cooperation agency for health development. We wear two institutional hats because in addition to being the PASB as part of the Inter-American System we also serve as the Regional Office for the World Health Organization (WHO), the specialized international health agency of the United Nations. We are working to ensure universal access to health for all people to quality health care, because we believe that is every human being’s right. Over the years, we have engaged in technical cooperation with Member States to fight communicable and noncommunicable, mental health diseases and their causes, strengthen health systems, and respond to health related issues of climate change, emergencies, epidemics and disasters. The importance of our task has been highlighted in recent weeks as the COVID-19 pandemic reached Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. With the number of positive COVID-19 cases rising, PAHO has engaged with Governments in the region to pool our human and financial resources in providing life-saving equipment, host ongoing training sessions for government laboratory staff as well as provide materials and supplies for expanding the capacity of local laboratories for testing for COVID-19. As part of our routine technical cooperation, we provide timely situation updates and a range of tools and clinical guidance on the treatment of COVID-19 and public health advice on personal and community measures for reducing the spread of the disease. We have also been working arduously to ensure that countries and territories in the region can effectively slow the rate of infection and overcome the residual impacts of the crisis. We stand ready to support countries on the reopening of their economies by providing appropriate and adaptable public health guidance depending on country contexts.
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UN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
PAHO, and the wider UN system, has engaged with local stakeholders in several areas, including a study on the socio-economic impact of the virus on Trinidad and Tobago and the provision of alternative learning methods for children whose education has been interrupted by the pandemic. We are also engaging the public to better understand the impact of the current situation on people’s everyday lives through webinars and online forums. This pandemic has changed the way we live but we will rebound and build back our lives. It is important that we continue to support and care for each other, not just during the pandemic but especially when it passes. Only with that approach of solidarity will we make sure our societies are rebuilt better and that no one is left behind. Warmest, Dr. Erica Wheeler, PAHO Representative for Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba
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UN RESPONSE “WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER!”
UN SECRETARY GENERAL, ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, CALLS FOR SOLIDARITY AMONGST CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK.
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TO COVID-19
PAHO CARIBBEAN REPRESENTATIVE, DR. ERICA WHEELER, SHARES PAHO’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19 CRISIS.
UN TT RESIDENT COORDINATOR, MARINA WALTER, TALKS WITH TV6 ON UN SYSTEM’S RESPONSE TO THE VIRUS. UN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BI- ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
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UN LAUNCHES WEBINARS AS SAFE TALK SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the world of work severel threat to public health, the economic and social disruption thre livelihoods and wellbeing of millions.
The United Nations has started rolling out webinars to provide a d governments, employers’ and workers’ representatives as well as to discuss the socio-economic impact of the pandemic and how of work and explore solutions.
A publication on the most frequently asked questions related to standards and COVID-19 was also developed. Read the publicatio
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UN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER
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PROMOTING EDUCATION OVER FE UN LAUNCHES LEARNING AT HOM
The United Nations and its partners recently launched the campaign #LearningAtHome through their digital channels and educators in the region with free educational and ente well as tips and examples of good health and hygiene practic
UNICEF recognizes the efforts being made by all governmen guarantee the right to education and is working with them an develop more flexible distance learning modalities that includ television content, reading materials and guided homework. Learn more here.
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EARS: ME CAMPAIGN
e regional outreach to provide families ertainment tools, as ces.
nts in the region to nd other partners to de online, radio and
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UNFPA LIAISON OFFICER, AURORA RAMKISSOON, GIVES A SPEECH AT RALLY.
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REPRESENTATIVES FROM ECLAC AND IOM SHARE INFORMATION WITH RALLY PARTICIPANTS AND ONLOOKERS.
UN JOINS RALLY TO EMPOWER WOMEN THROUGH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY MARCH This year’s International Women’s Day called for women and men everywhere to take collective action to build a gender equal world. Whether that means working to create a gender equal boardroom, a gender equal government, gender equal media coverage, gender equal workplaces, gender equal sports coverage or more gender equality in health and wealth. With this year’s theme of “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”, women and men gathered in the Queen’s Park Savannah to rally for a more equal world. The United Nations in Trinidad and Tobago along with partners joined in raising awareness of women’s rights by being vocal advocates for women’s sexual reproductive rights, the rights of migrant and refugee women along with disseminating information on how the United Nations is further serving the women of Trinidad and Tobago.
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THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, CULTURE AND ARTS WORKS WITH UN TO LAUNCH CIMP PROJECT TO ELIMINATE COMMUNITY VIOLENCE To effectively respond to the level of crime in Trinidad and Tobago, the United Nations in Trinidad and Tobago under the UNDP-DPPA Joint Programme and the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Arts joined forces to develop the Community Inclusive Mediation Project (CIMP). This CIMP Pilot Project seeks to train, mentor and deploy 25 ‘citizen mediators’ (CMs) who will work under the tutelage of the Community Mediation Services Department (CMSD) to deescalate and resolve conflicts that arise in their communities. The trained CMs will be deployed to their respective communities to undergo the mentorship phase of their training. At the end of the mentorship, the CMSD and the ‘Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme’ will organize a Regional Lessons Learned Conference on Peace Mediation. The Conference will showcase some of the issues arising from the pilot, and lessons learned will be shared with key actors from the 14 other CARICOM Countries. The CIMP Pilot Project which started in July 2019 is expected to end in June 2020. Read more here. 14|
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MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, CULTURE AND ARTS SPEAKS AT THE MEDIA LAUNCH OF THE CIMP PROJECT AT HILTON HOTEL, TRINIDAD
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PHOTO CREDIT: CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
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THE UN WORKS TO SUPPORT MIGRANTS NEEDS THROUGH DISPLACEMENT TRACKING MATRIX The Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), launched in July 2019, was developed to maintain periodic monitoring of migrants, as it relates to their profiles, characteristics and socio-economic status. The DTM 2019 employed baseline key informant interviews and individual-level surveys to capture information on a range of key thematic areas. In the first instance, Baseline interviews were conducted with twenty key informants in Trinidad and Tobago, inclusive of national authorities, non-governmental organizations and some Venezuelan migrants. These interviews were analyzed to guide the selection of communities for the DTM survey exercise as well as to inform preliminary migrant population estimates and migrant profiles. Data gathered through this process informs the locations, evolving needs and vulnerabilities of migrant populations. Read more here.
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PHOTO CREDIT: MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
CSO AND UNICEF FACILITATED MAIN FIELDWORK TRAINING SESSIONS FOR THE MULTIPLE INDICATOR SURVEY (MICS) ON MARCH 2, 2020.
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UN AND CENTRAL STATISTICS OFFICE TO LAUNCH 2020 MULTIPLE INDICATOR CLUSTER SURVEY The United Nations and the Central Statistical Office (CSO) along with government partners in Trinidad and Tobago are working on further improving the lives of women and children through the 2020 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS). The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey intends to collect crucial data and provide estimates for a large number of indicators on the situation of children & women at the national level in T&T. Due to the current crisis, the survey has been postponed until further notice. Read more here.
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MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PARTAKES IN GOVERNMENT RE-ORIENTATION SESSION The senior leaders from the Ministry of Planning and Development in Trinidad and Tobago recently participated in a re-orientation session held by the United Nations. This re-orientation session intended to introduce new staff members from the Ministry of Planning and Development to the work of the United Nations in the country and to highlight areas for joint collaboration and partnerships. The session also allowed for a more open discussion between the United Nations and the Ministry of Planning and Development.
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STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT RECEIVE UN SOUVENIRS AT THE GOVERNMENT RE-ORIENTATION SESSION.
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THE GOVERNMENT AND THE UN WORK TO BUILD RESILIENCE OF FISHERFOLK THROUGH CC4FISH PROJECT To increase the resilience of fisherfolk in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Fisheries Division (FD), Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF) of Trinidad and Tobago rolled out the “Climate Change Adaptation in the Eastern Caribbean Fisheries Sector” (CC4FISH) project which was implemented by FAO over the period 2017-2020. The CC4FISH project also worked to create better understanding and awareness of climate change vulnerability, create resilience of fisherfolk organizations and aquaculturists, and improve governance by mainstreaming climate change adaptation in multilevel fisheries governance. The project started with a National Launch Workshop of the CC4FISH-TT in Chaguanas and followed with a series of workshops which increased fisherfolk’s knowledge on data collection strategies and methods, sampling design for small scale fisheries routine data collection, analyses of data, how to use ones data for fisheries management and things to consider when undertaking a damage assessment among other crucial information on climate change adaptation. Learn more here.
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PHOTO CREDIT: THE CARIBBEAN NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE (CANARI)
FISHERFOLK AND RESIDENTS OF ICACOS PARTICIPATED IN A WORKSHOP UNDER THE CC4FISH PROJECT TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN ASSESSING ITS VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE. UN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BI- ANNUAL NEWSLETTER |23
PHOTO CREDIT: UNDP TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
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FUNDING THE FUTURE OF THE SDGS: THE UN APPLIES FOR THE JOINT SDG FUND The UN recently submitted four applications to the UN Joint SDG Fund on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago. The Fund helps countries accelerate their progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals by funding projects that can unlock public and private capital for the SDGs at scale. This year’s Fund had two components. Component 1 entailed developing SDG financing strategies and frameworks, and convening public- and private-sector networks for their implementation. Component 2 involved deploying financial solutions with the potential to leverage additional SDG financing, especially from the private sector.
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DAYS TO N TE SPOTLIGHT VIRTUAL LAUNCH
APRIL
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
MAY
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
JUNE
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JULY
WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
AUGUST
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY
SEPTEMBER
WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY
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