From 51 founding members to 193 Member States, the United Nations has remained guided by the Charter, principles like peace and security, friendly relations and cooperation and human rights.
The UN’s Resident Coordinator for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, Joanna Kazana, said as the UN marks its 80th year, this milestone is one of celebration but also one of renewal and reflection as it continues moving to the tune of a rapidly changing world.
She spoke highly of the involvement of the Caribbean, and specifically Trinidad and Tobago, in advancing the various causes of the UN and sees the country as a major partner in the organisation’s transformation process.
“In Trinidad and Tobago, we have a big family of the United Nations organisations. There’s about 210 people working for the UN in Port of Spain. It’s a very big hub for the organisation’s activity, both in Trinidad and across the Caribbean. The big UN family includes, of course, agencies that you know very well, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women, but it also includes several specialised agencies of the United Nations system, such as FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization, such as PAHO-WHO, working on health, such as ECLAC, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is sitting here and has a big hub for the Caribbean region.”
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, the United Nations Trinidad and Tobago is a part of 25 UN sub-organisations with headquarters in Trinidad and Tobago.
“We also saw Trinidad and Tobago’s leadership of the General Assembly from 2023 until 2024. Trinidad and Tobago now aspires to be a member of the Security Council of the United Nations in the non-permanent member category for the period of 2027–28. We believe that this is incredible leadership demonstrated by the country and not only leadership but also demonstration, very concrete demonstration, of commitment to multilateralism, to resolving the issues and regional and global problems according to the United Nations Charter, according to the international law, according to the rules established by the global community.”
Ms Kazana said the United Nations, as an international body, is in the process of transition, which includes strategic reconfiguration of their operations and accelerating sustainable development.
“The Secretary General has launched his own UNAT initiative to refresh the way that the United Nations system works. He’s eliminated, I think, a lot of overlaps in the mandates. He’s going through very, very carefully, through the 40,000 different mandates that over the years the Member States have given to the UN and tasked the UN to implement certain priorities. Some of those can be merged, even structures are being merged, some of the new functions are strengthened, especially at the regional level.”
Ms Kazana expressed gratitude to the stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago for the immense contributions made in furthering the United Nations agenda of global cooperation.
“Wherever you go, there are Trinis and you will find them everywhere, in peacekeeping missions, in humanitarian cooperation and assistance, in development. So it’s a big thank you for the role that you’re playing, both in the high-level institutions and behind the big tables, but also at the grassroots level, where Trinis are working to help others.”
Speaking directly to the nation’s young people, the UN Resident Coordinator encouraged them to keep making a difference.
“You have so many amazing young people who are coming from all kinds of communities, from those most privileged communities, but also amazing people coming from those least privileged communities. We have a great chance to work with them through our programmes and our projects. We want to make it bigger. We want to make a difference. But I have the incredible sense that the youth of Trinidad and Tobago is exactly the kind of people that we need for the future of Trinidad and for the future of the whole international cooperation.”
The United Nations Trinidad and Tobago continues to actively engage communities, emphasising participation on the grassroots level, ensuring youth, women, and vulnerable communities are part of the major conversations that affect them most.