T&T has been commended by the T&T Chapter of the United Nations for meeting 48 per cent of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, while the country is on course to meet another 22 per cent by the end of this year, concern has been expressed about the prevalence of HIV.
Richard Blewitt, UN resident co-ordinator for T&T, said due to T&T's wealth it was able to accomplish many of its MDG goals.
"Overall, at least 70 per cent of the MDG targets and indicators will be attained by 2015, so we have to celebrate that success," he said when he addressed a national consultation for the design of a Multi-country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDF) for the Caribbean at the Normandie Hotel, St Ann's, yesterday.
"I always say the MDGs were a very low bar for T&T. SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are now a bar to aspire to."
Yesterday's consultation was part of a series being held locally to design a MSDF for the region which will provide greater synergies in UN programming, as well as stronger monitoring, reporting and evaluation.
Highlighting some of T&T's accomplishments, Blewitt said there has been significant progress on poverty reduction. It declined from 24 per cent in 1997/1998 to 14.8 per cent in 2008/2009.
Noting the "under achievements", including HIV, he said: 'We know in 2012, the HIV prevalence rate in T&T went up–the only country in the Caribbean where the prevalence rate went up and the death rate went up. That tells us for HIV we should have a slight amber light about what to do about HIV."
Blewitt said the rate of maternal deaths are also of concern.
At the end of the consultations in T&T, Belize, Suriname, Jamaica, Barbados, OECS countries and Guyana the results will be synthesised to produce a set of priorities and expected results for the UN in the Caribbean.