News
Ken Chee Hing
PLANNING, Economic Affairs and Development Minister Kennedy Swaratsingh says government is open to co-operation and collaboration with the UK government on a number of issues pertaining to economic development in this country.
Swaratsingh, who was sworn in on May 3, along with the ministry’s management team met with Minister Kerry McCarthy, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom and her team in Port of Spain on May 7.
A release from the ministry said discussions were centred on the exploration of mutually beneficial opportunities between TT and the UK Government in the areas of green carbon initiatives, offshore wind energy, decarbonisation of the industrial sector, advances in the green shipping industry and other programmes that contribute to the attainment of Trinidad and Tobago’s nationally determined contributions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Swaratsingh, who is also a Government Senator, emphasised the importance of government to government arrangements which enable various sectors such as community-based organisations, the agriculture sector, private enterprises and more to be key players in national development and benefit from government’s actions.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary McCarthy was keen on the idea of the UK and TT working together to identify areas in the environmental sector.
Minister McCarthy and her team also highlighted the potential of TT as a global player in traditional and renewable energy services and agreed to the exploration of providing expertise to share ideas and best practices from the UK’s perspective.
Both ministers agreed to further discussions in order to identify actionable items for agreements that can be made in the very near future.
The release pointed out that the environment is a key focus of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development because wise use of the environment is important to economic and social development as this enables foreign investment, job creation and an improved standard of living in the country.