Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, Dr. Kennedy Swaratsingh, has affirmed that Trinidad and Tobago is backing stronger regional migration rules and support systems to ensure Caribbean development.
During his opening remarks at the 2025 Annual Co-ordination Meeting of the United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework for 2022-2026, he said the Caribbean region is at a critical inflection point and must take initiatives to ensure its people are not left behind.
“Population changes, including ageing and the continued migration of skilled workers, are reshaping our social system and labour markets. At the same time, technological change is advancing faster than many of our institutions can adapt. While digital transformation offers enormous opportunities for growth, service delivery and inclusion, gaps in access and skills threaten to widen inequality if we do not act decisively.”
Minister Swaratsingh also outlined Trinidad and Tobago’s areas of primary focus as the government works towards implementing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
“Trinidad and Tobago supports the strengthening of regional migration governance and inclusive protection framework, ensuring that mobility contributes to development rather than deepening vulnerability. For Trinidad and Tobago, advancing our energy transition, improving water security, strengthening early warning systems, and pursuing nature-based solutions are central national priorities and we value the partnership of the UN system as we work to scale these efforts.”
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator for Trinidad and Tobago, Joanna Kazana, highlighted how the UN would be contributing to the meeting.
“We are going to present to you not only the reports that I mentioned, but we’re also going to share with you the key takeaways from the evaluation exercise that’s looking at the mid-point results achieved by the current cooperation framework and looking into the recommendations for the future. We are also going to look at the multi-country assessment of the development trends. And we’re going to look in a different way at the megatrends that the Caribbean region is going to face in the next couple of years.”
The three-day meeting will not only look back at the achievements of the last four years but also seek to set the sustainable development goals for the future.