ST. VINCENT-UNCTAD is supporting St. Vincent and the Grenadines to strengthen investment facilitation.
NEW YORK, CMC – The New York-based Consulate General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the United States says […]
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NEW YORK, CMC – The New York-based Consulate General of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the United States says that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has confirmed its readiness to support the Caribbean island’s efforts to strengthen investment facilitation and deepen Diaspora engagement.
The Consulate said this development follows a formal request for technical and financial cooperation, submitted by the new St. Vincent and the Grenadines government, and builds on “a strategic initiative developed and advanced by the Consulate in New York, aimed at creating a structured and sustainable framework for diaspora investment.”
The Consulate said UNCTAD “confirmed its willingness to explore collaboration to enhance the investment environment and promote sustainable and inclusive growth.
“The initiative, ‘Engaging the Vincentian Diaspora in National Development Through Trade and Investment’, reflects the Consulate’s ongoing efforts to position the Diaspora as a central partner in national development by mobilizing capital, expertise, and global networks, and creating a more structured and sustainable framework for Diaspora engagement, thereby supporting the government’s broader strategic economic strategy,” it said.
As part of this collaboration, the Consulate said UNCTAD has identified several areas of potential support, including providing technical input on draft investment legislation, with a view to incorporating a Diaspora investment component; undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the national investment framework; and supporting the development of targeted investment promotion strategies for diplomats, particularly in relation to Diaspora engagement.
The support will also include delivering specialized training to strengthen diplomatic capacity and coordinating with the Consulate General in New York in preparation for its participation in the government’s upcoming high-level Diaspora investment engagement in June.
“This initiative represents a strategic shift in how we engage the Vincentian Diaspora, moving from informal connections to structured, results-driven partnerships,” Consul General Roland “Patel” U. C. Matthews told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Tuesday.
“The Consulate has been deliberate in advancing this framework, and UNCTAD’s support reinforces our ability to translate vision into measurable impact,” he added.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Foreign Affairs Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble said his government “fully supports this initiative”, commending the leadership of the Consulate General in advancing a “forward-thinking approach to Diaspora engagement.
“This collaboration with UNCTAD strengthens our national capacity to attract investment and promote sustainable development,” he said.
UNCTAD said that strengthening the investment policy framework and mobilizing foreign direct investment, including from the Diaspora, can play “a critical role in fostering sustainable development and inclusive growth”.
