In advance of the official launch of Trinidad and Tobago’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plan (NAP), Our Secure Future and UN Women, in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, hosted a technical workshop from March 24-25, 2025 on WPS implementation strategies and monitoring frameworks.
The high-level workshop brought together key government officials, civil society representatives, and international partners to finalize the operational framework for implementing Trinidad and Tobago’s first WPS NAP. Through interactive exercises and discussions, the participants focused on strengthening implementation strategies and monitoring and evaluation frameworks to ensure the NAP moves from policy to practice. This workshop built upon the foundation established during the May 2024 inaugural convening of Our Secure Future’s WPS National Action Plan Academy in Trinidad and Tobago, in partnership with UN Women.
On March 26, 2025, Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caribbean nation to launch a WPS National Action Plan. The country’s WPS NAP (2025-2030) provides a strategic framework to address the impacts of armed violence, organized crime, and gender-based violence, with a particular focus on addressing gun and gang-related violence. While the NAP acknowledges that the country is not in an active conflict zone, it sets clear objectives and actions to address the high rates of armed violence and advance women’s roles in preventing conflict, promoting peace, and fostering long-term stability.
At the launch event of Trinidad and Tobago’s WPS NAP, the Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Gender and Child Affairs, issued a call to action: “to work together to create a Trinidad and Tobago where peace, inclusion and resilience are not aspirations, but realities. Our Government has embraced the strategy of treating crime and violence as public health issues, a perspective that demands intentional informed, and compassionate interventions.” 
In closing remarks at the NAP launch event, Je’nille Maraj, UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean Planning and Coordination Specialist, congratulated all stakeholders on their invaluable work on the WPS NAP and expressed her hope that other countries will join in advancing the WPS agenda. Trinidad and Tobago’s WPS NAP builds on two years of extensive work led by Our Secure Future, UN Women, the Government of Canada, the Office of the Prime Minister - Gender and Child Affairs, Ministry of National Security, and the WPS Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group.
The launch of Trinidad and Tobago's NAP leadership has already led to other regional discussions. On March 27, 2025, a high-level experts' meeting on the WPS agenda was hosted by the British High Commission in partnership with Our Secure Future and UN Women in Georgetown, Guyana. The meetings engaged stakeholders from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, and focused on efforts to advance similar WPS initiatives across the Caribbean. The convening focused on next steps toward developing a regional WPS approach in the Caribbean as well as National Action Plans for each country.
During this meeting, Sahana Dharmapuri, Vice President of Our Secure Future, emphasized the importance of regional collaboration: "We want to do things regionally because it goes back to the principle that if we work together, we can accomplish great things. The discussion today is building on that—fostering regional sharing, ideas, and coordination—which is unique [...] Capturing what women are saying about peace and security in their countries and sharing it with the global community highlights its global importance."
Mirsad Jacevic, Our Secure Future NAP Fellow and global WPS NAP expert, also underscored the necessity of inclusive processes in developing NAPs, stating: “The development of a WPS National Action Plan is not just a policy exercise—what is even more important is how we get there. The stakeholders we bring together, civil society - whose role is absolutely critical in shaping sustainable security policies, the partnerships we build, and the sustained commitment we foster will determine the success of the plan and its impact on communities.”
Read more about Our Secure Future’s WPS NAP Academy here.
Header photo: Celebrating at the Launch of the Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan of Trinidad and Tobago at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre on Wednesday 26th March, 2025 were (centre) the Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Central Administrative Services Tobago, Gender and Child Affairs, and the National AIDS Coordinating Committee; (L-R) Mr. Stuart Shaw, Counsellor, High Commission of Canada; Delfina Garcia Hamilton, Programme Coordinator for Women, Peace, and Security at UN Women's Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean; Sahana Dharmapuri, Vice President, Our Secure Future; Kurt Meyer, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister, Gender and Child Affairs; His Excellency Michael Callan, High Commissioner for Canada to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Joanna Kazana, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten and Suriname; Je’nille Maraj, Planning and Coordination Specialist, UN Women Multi-Country Office – Caribbean; Mirsad Jacevic, Fellow, Our Secure Future and NAP Expert; and Dr. Dylan Kerrigan Peace and Development Officer, Office of the UN Resident Coordinator, Trinidad and Tobago. Photo: UN Women/Joel Peters
Middle photo: The Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister - Gender and Child Affairs and Sahana Dharmapuri, Vice President of Our Secure Future, at the launch of the Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan of Trinidad and Tobago on March 26th, 2025. Photo: UN Women/Joel Peters
Bottom photo: Launch of the Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan of Trinidad and Tobago on March 26, 2025. Photo: UN Women/Joel Peters