As Trinidad and Tobago advances its national priorities on economic diversification, fiscal resilience, and energy transition, strengthening its access to reliable and affordable clean energy has become increasingly important. Through its multi-year Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) project, funded by the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnered with the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs, and Development to support the Government’s renewable energy and climate resilience agenda. In 2025, six additional sites were fully equipped with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, expanding access to renewable power and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Among the six was an installation at the Office of the Prime Minister in St. Clair that powers the media briefing room, providing a resilient communications hub during disasters. Since the inception of the GCCA+ project in 2019, a total of 18 solar PV sites has been commissioned. To sustain these gains beyond project closure in December 2025, beneficiaries at each site were trained to operate and maintain the systems, strengthening local stewardship and continuity of service delivery. Behavioral change driven by awareness of the benefits to be derived from renewable energy also remained a key priority. A public education campaign, which ran from October 2024 to April 2025, reached over 280,000 people through dialogues, engagements, and media. Together, these efforts support the Government’s commitment to building a more resilient, diversified, and environmentally sustainable economy and seamlessly interweave with Trinidad and Tobago’s Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.

The UN system continued its support for Government’s commitment to place all government services online, thereby improving public sector efficiency and creating a robust, inclusive digital economy. UN investments in national digital identity, interoperability, opensource digital systems, and AI capacity development significantly advanced the country’s digital infrastructure in 2025. The US$8.2 million DIGIT Project, implemented by UNDP in collaboration with the Government, supported the deployment of open-source platforms – including MOSIP for Digital ID, X-Road for interoperability, and OpenG2P for Mobile Social Welfare Wallets– and the digitalization of government services, reinforcing a whole-of-government digital ecosystem. The initiative builds on the UNDP-led Digital Readiness Assessment, which generated the evidence base for national digital priorities and catalyzed both Government funding and CAF/EU Global Gateway support for expanding digital public infrastructure in the country. In 2025, UNDP conducted an AI Landscape Assessment (AILA) to identify national opportunities and risks associated with adopting AI for public service delivery. Additionally, an AI Trust & Safety assessment identified AI-related risks, opportunities, and governance gaps through a safety-by-design approach, creating the foundations for context-appropriate AI Trust & Safety strategies. Furthermore, the AI for SIDS 2.0: The Caribbean Forum’s Digital Facility for the Caribbean initiative (led by UNDP in partnership with regional and international organizations) explored the use of AI for public sector innovation and sustainable development. The forum attracted over 1,200 registrants from more than 20 countries. These efforts are designed to accelerate Trinidad and Tobago’s transformation to a fully digital nation.

Digitizing payments for public services strengthens economic resilience by lowering transaction costs, improving transparency, and reducing frictions that constrain business activity and service delivery. Through its Digital Finance for Resilience (DFS4Res) initiative, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) supported Trinidad and Tobago moving toward more efficient, accountable, and accessible public financial processes, contributing to a more competitive business environment and stronger state capacity. Funded by the European Union and working with the National Payments and Innovation Centre of Trinidad and Tobago (NPICTT), DFS4Res catalyzed the adoption of secure digital payment channels across key government entities. The Customs and Excise Division now has faster transactions and improved payment reconciliation, making trade easier for importers and brokers while enhancing revenue collection. The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation similarly introduced an online certified copy application and digital payment system, reducing administrative burdens and expanding access to services. In parallel, preparatory work advanced to extend comparable digital payment solutions to the Housing Development Corporation and the Ministry of Trade, Investment, and Tourism. Collectively, these interventions demonstrate how digital public finance can improve service efficiency, support private sector activity, and advance progress toward SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), which are key strategic priorities of the Government.

By positioning e-commerce as a driver of inclusive, competitive and resilient business ecosystems, Trinidad and Tobago strengthened the foundations for a more diversified, future-ready economy that can expand market access for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and widen participation in growth. Led by UNCTAD, and advanced with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago through the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism and the National E-commerce Committee, the country finalized a comprehensive E-commerce Strategy, endorsed and officially launched in March 2025. The Strategy set a coherent national direction across legal and regulatory reform, digital skills and awareness, business competitiveness, and trade/logistics efficiency. It also embedded specific measures to include women, youth, people in rural areas, and PWDs in the digital economy. UNCTAD also helped institutionalize implementation capacity by convening a development partners round table to align UN and other partners from the outset, and by introducing the Trade Reform Tracker to support coordinated monitoring.

As Trinidad and Tobago advances digitalization as a core pillar of economic growth and public service delivery, coherent telecommunications and ICT regulation has become increasingly critical. A more harmonized regional regulatory approach is central to achieving the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single ICT Space and to strengthening the digital competitiveness of participating economies. Expanded access to reliable and affordable telecommunications services, particularly internet connectivity, directly supports productivity, innovation, and inclusive access to digital public services. At the request of CARICOM and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), IT U supported a multiphase process between 2023 and 2025 to finalize governance arrangements for a proposed regional regulatory body. The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago actively contributed to shaping the next steps for regional rollout through the Regulators Forum. As digital technologies and applications continue to evolve, strengthened regulatory frameworks will be essential to ensuring dependable connectivity, good quality service, and affordability, reinforcing the foundations for sustainable digital growth in Trinidad and Tobago.

In 2025, IT U strengthened the quality and sustainability of digital literacy to support the efforts of Trinidad and Tobago to modernize public institutions and build a digitally capable workforce. Formal onboarding of the Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation into the Global Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) Initiative integrated national digital skills development into an internationally recognized framework. This certified the country’s existing network of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Access Centers as a national delivery hub, bringing local practices in line with global standards through ITU-approved platforms, curricula, and specialized tools. Implementation focused on expanding access to digital capabilities among priority population groups, including youth, senior citizens, PWDs, and migrant communities, while maintaining a minimum threshold of 30 percent female participation. By strengthening institutional delivery systems alongside human capital, the initiative positioned digital literacy as a driver of economic inclusion and public sector effectiveness, allowing broader participation in a digitally enabled economy.

In 2025, digital transformation emerged as a central enabler of UN–Government cooperation. Across sectors, UN agencies supported the modernization of public systems to improve efficiency, inclusion, and resilience. In social protection, digital registries strengthened targeting and service delivery. In health, digital tools enhanced continuity of care. In justice, case management systems improved efficiency and access. In climate and agriculture, data platforms and early warning tools supported risk-informed decision-making. Youth and education initiatives expanded digital skills and access to technology. These efforts align with global commitments under the Global Digital Compact and build on Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in UN-supported digital governance dialogue, including the Big Data community of practice. Together, they demonstrate how digitalization serves not as a stand-alone initiative but as a foundation for economic diversification, institutional efficiency, and inclusive growth.

Combating trafficking in persons remains an explicit imperative of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, requiring integrated responses that strengthen protection, recovery, and economic reintegration. Expanding decent work opportunities and psychosocial support is essential to restoring the safety, well-being, and economic participation of survivors of human trafficking and forcibly displaced persons. In support of this national priority, IOM assisted 23 individuals (17 adolescents and 6 adult women), including trafficking survivors, to improve psychosocial well-being and acquire entrepreneurial skills for sustainable livelihoods. To address service gaps for adolescent survivors, IOM partnered with Chosen Hands to deliver the Art for Healing initiative, and with the Women-Owned Media and Education Network (W.O.M.E.N) and the US Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration to implement the Rise Up: Healing Today, Thriving Tomorrow initiative. These programs used art therapy, vocational training, and psychological support to equip the beneficiaries with practical, in-demand vocational skills and to strengthen self-esteem and psychosocial recovery among migrant girls aged 13–18 affected by trafficking. Funded by the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, this initiative was complemented by the Rise Up project, which built market-relevant entrepreneurial skills for women and girls. Together, these interventions supported safer reintegration, strengthened resilience, and advanced national efforts to combat trafficking in persons through survivor-centered recovery and economic self-reliance.

FAO advanced SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by strengthening national capacity for animal health emergency preparedness as part of broader efforts to safeguard food security, protect livelihoods, and bolster resilience across the Trinidad and Tobago agricultural sector. Following the country’s first confirmed outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in 2024, FAO continued to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Tobago House of Assembly to address critical preparedness gaps and expedite the shift toward faster, in-country response capacity. National animal health systems were reinforced through improved laboratory diagnostic capability, harmonized standard operating procedures across Trinidad and Tobago, and improved biosafety and priority disease diagnostic competencies, strengthening both laboratory quality management and workforce protection. In a complementary initiative, surveillance and emergency response readiness were upgraded through revised contingency plans, new epidemiological tools, and strengthened coordination mechanisms across laboratory, epidemiology, and risk communication pillars. These efforts laid the groundwork for a national simulation exercise planned for 2026 to test preparedness and response systems. Collectively, the interventions reduced reliance on overseas diagnostics – which previously extended test turnaround times beyond six weeks – thereby facilitating earlier detection and more timely containment of high risk animal diseases such as PRRS and avian influenza. FAO ’s work brought direct benefits to farmers, food supply chains and public health.