Photo Gallery - MEDICAL RELIEF MISSION - 2009

Citizens & Friends of Trinidad & Tobago, Inc. would like to thank all those that attended our annual Awards Banquet Presentation Show & Dance, celebrating 54 years of independence of our island nation. Your attendance and contribution will go a long way towards "Helping Children In Need."

Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States of America on the Occasion of the Twentieth Anniversary of Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago: Los Angeles

Date:  August 20th, 2016

On behalf of the Government and People of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, both at home, and, here abroad, in the Diaspora, I have the honour and pleasure, as our country’s eleventh Ambassador to the United States of America, to congratulate Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago – Los Angeles, on this memorable occasion and milestone achievement of the twentieth anniversary of its establishment and first incorporation in 1996.

I also wish to extend special congratulations to all of the tonight’s recipients of Awards, and to thank you for the many sacrifices of service and support, financial or otherwise, that you have made to enable Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago to contribute to the development of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and, the many other communities where the organization delivers its value.

We now live in a twenty-first century society that is defined and driven more by the realities of public diplomacy, and people-to-people relations, in important areas such as healthcare, education, culture, sport and tourism, than by traditional expressions of government-to-government diplomatic and political relations. It is in this context, that the excellent contribution that Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago continues to make to the lives of children and other citizens in our beloved country, must be recognized as not only social action. The initiatives undertaken by Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago must even more importantly, be valued for their expression and evidence of the role that our Diaspora can play in promoting and strengthening bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the United States of America.

For the past twenty years, Citizens and Friends has engaged in what many now refer to as street-level bureaucracy. That street-level and highly interactive approach to the pursuit of social equity and social justice, has mobilized the full effectiveness of the people-to-people dimension of public diplomacy. It has promoted and provided solutions to meet those real-life and increasingly important social needs, that must be addressed to enable and ensure the growth and development of our people and twin-island republic, and, which have now been globally adopted within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has identified increased Diaspora engagement as one of four (4) priorities of both the national development and foreign policy framework. As a Diaspora organization that has consistently contributed to national development, the priorities of Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago are coherently aligned with the sustainable development agenda andinterests of Trinidad and Tobago. The Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in Washington, DC therefore looks forward to deepening and broadening the scope and scale of its engagement with Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago in the future, as we collaborate to pursue and promote the mutual interests of Trinidad and Tobago and the United States. 

Just as 2016 marks the twentieth (20th) anniversary of Citizens and Friend of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago also celebrates its fortieth anniversary as a Republic in 2016. I am therefore pleased to announce tonight that in recognition of this Diaspora organization’s significant contribution to national development and to the improvement of the quality of life of many children and other citizens in our beloved twin-island nation, Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago – Los Angeles has been nominated on a very selective list of organizations and individuals, to be recognized by the Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Washington, DC, on Republic Day 2016, with a Republic Day Diaspora Achievement Award.

In closing, I wish again, to extend sincerest congratulations to Citizens and Friends of Trinidad and Tobago – Los Angeles, on the celebration of its twentieth (20) anniversary, and also, on its nomination to be recognized with a 2016 Republic Day Diaspora Achievement Award. It is an honour and privilege to have been afforded this opportunity to share in the celebration of the excellence that is synonymous with the achievement of our people here in the United States Diaspora. Your Embassy in Washington, DC is committed to including you our Diaspora, in the pursuit, promotion and protection of the national interests of Trinidad and Tobago.

Once again, as we at this Embassy both aspire and achieve together with you our diaspora, who have been forged from the love of liberty, and now pursue your lives in the land of the free, I am confident that God will bless our Nation and people both at home in Trinidad and Tobago, and, here abroad, in the United States.

Thank you for the courtesy of your attention and have an enjoyable night.