EU ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago: 'Doubles can be a global vegan delight'

THE Delegation of the European Union to TT has a new ambassador.

Peter Cavendish presented his credentials on Thursday at President’s House in St Ann’s, Port of Spain and will serve for four years after Aad Biesebroek’s term as EU ambassador to TT ended on August 31, last year. His office is located in Queen’s Park West, Port of Spain.

Cavendish, 60, from Dublin, Ireland, is married to a journalist and has two children who have pursued careers in law and business studies and computer coding. His line of work before joining the EU was in the finance and petrochemicals sectors.

He holds a bachelor's degree of economics from the University College Dublin with specialities in political economy, national economics and economic statistics, and a master of business studies (MBS) degree also from the same institution with specialities in banking, insurance and finance.

Over time Cavendish served as head of division at the Security of EU delegations, head of division at the inspection of EU delegations, head of division at the ex-post financial control of EU delegations and head of sector roles at the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO).

He said, as time passed, he realised that he wanted to do more with his life besides making money and found his vocation in humanitarian aid with the EU.

In an interview with Sunday Newsday last week, Cavendish said there was always a great appreciation for TT, having heard about the country from teachers/priests at one of the schools he attended, St Michael’s College, which has a sister school in TT, St Mary’s College.

The priests, he said, had great influence on him to find his life’s vocation which allowed him to pursue jobs in humanitarian aid.

'I was taught by priests from TT'

“The priests who were actually missionary fathers always encouraged people to find their vocation. They had an influence on me which led me to work in the areas of humanitarian aid for almost 15 years.

“I was actually educated by priests from TT, and they were always telling us how nice TT is and now I’m here in a beautiful and rich country, which I have been hearing about since the 1960s. My initial expressions have been very strong and positive.

Cavendish wasted no time in getting the well-known local delicacy – doubles – which he said was excellent and had potential to become an outstanding vegan delight worldwide.

“I think doubles is something that Trinidadians could make something more of because it's vegan. The sauces make a big difference, I had one with cashews and I had a very hot one. I think you need to start young in life to be able to master the hot ones. I’m looking to forward to the roadside experience.

“TT is a bit like Ireland. The people are very creative, there are a lot of writers, musicians, cultures, and artists. There is something about island communities that make them very attractive.”

Cavendish said he was looking forward to his time here, and already had many wonderful experiences, including seeing a hummingbird for the first time.

“I see them in my garden, along with the iguanas and beautiful corn birds, which are just beautiful. Coming from Ireland and seeing these things have been pretty exotic. I haven't seen the Carnival yet, hopefully covid19 would allow me too.”

He said that TT is a significant country in the geopolitical landscape, as was evident by its history. During his tenure he hope to have a positive impact as well as continue the goals and objectives of the EU and his predecessor in key areas such as disaster preparedness and management, water supply and management, renewable energy, digitalisation and technology transfer and business, trade and taxation.

On the issue of the covid19 pandemic, Cavendish said they have been seeking to get international organisations to discuss recovery plans and policies, investments and digitalisation.

Through planned webinars, he hoped chambers, private and public sectors, and entrepreneurs locally, regionally and internationally can share ideas information to rebuild economies.

“We have identified industry bodies across the sectors to engage large, medium and small businesses and other stakeholders. We are hoping that the webinars will sensitise people and encourage investments.”

Cavendish said the EU continued to assist governments with attaining vaccines, but timing and availability posed challenges for all countries.

“TT government has made a request to the EU’s emergency response coordination centre to seek unused EU vaccines. We are committed to making vaccines available, but the question was timing.

“Your prime minister has been very active at the World Health Assembly to develop a World Health Organization agreement on pandemic preparedness and response. They are right, we need to be prepared for pandemics.”

Plans to fund disaster preparedness projects

Already the EU has funded projects through DG ECHO to promote better disaster preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean in the sum of €500,000. The EU's DG ECHO provides disaster or humanitarian emergency assistance for affected countries and populations, as laid down in the Lisbon Treaty.

The 18-month project which started in July is being done in collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The project, Implementing the Sendai framework through disaster preparedness, coordination and knowledge in Latin America and the Caribbean will include a multi-stakeholder approach through training, workshops, best practices, communication strategies and campaigns to raise public awareness.

Cavendish said TT, the Caribbean and Latin America can benefit from a myriad of technical expertise from the EU to deal with disaster preparedness and water management.

He said TT had a great supply of water, and the right practices can eventually lead to water for all.

“We are willing to give technical expertise to help and share with water management, which is a global issue as well. In TT, I tend to think that you have the width, the broadband and the expertise to do a lot of things.

“I see a great many people who have doctorates in government, you have doctorates in geology and other areas, so there is a highly educated population here. I would really like to think that with technical input and transfers that we would communicate a lot of good practices.”

Additional projects included work with national security and training, non-governmental organisations to help at risk youth, and the migrant communities.