Trinidad and Tobago Resilience and Inclusive Peace Project (TRIP)

Young people are among the most affected by the multiple forms of violence that plague countries and communities (from physical and sexual violence, to gangs, organized crime and terrorist attacks), bearing enormous and long-lasting human, social and economic costs.  These experiences impact their access to education and economic opportunities, fueling a cycle of poverty, hopelessness and frustration.  Yet most young people want to and do play a  positive role in peacebuilding and can be important agents of change, with a growing body of evidence demonstrating that well-designed civil engagement programmes can foster resilience and prevent young people from (re)engaging in violence.

(Young People’s Participation in Peacebuilding, UN Interagency Network on Youth Development)

Violence Prevention

The Trinidad and Tobago Resilience and Inclusive Peace Project (TRIP) is part of the UNDP’s violence prevention portfolio developed to address crime and recidivism in the country. Taking a multifaceted approach - TRIP works to enhance community resilience through the promotion of inclusive peacebuilding; to support Government’s Violence Prevention policy, legislative agenda and key projects; and to support an evidence-based approach to violence prevention programming.

Peace Ambassadors

Initiatives under TRIP include: a  Youth Peace Ambassadors programme with incarcerated youth, using psychosocial interventions and resilience building to help reduce the high rate of recidivism; and training and capacity building for the Children’s Court and Child Probation Officers - to support meaningful juvenile justice reform and global best practice in restorative justice.

Other work includes a study on the perpetrators of gender-based violence and a desk review on Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) in Trinidad and Tobago - to support policy, governance tools and practical on the ground solutions and to identify the capacity needs of state actors in ensuring a human rights-based approaches to PVE.