St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Consul General to the United States Roland ‘Patel’ Matthews says the New York-based Consulate General is broadening its role beyond providing routine consular services to help nationals access educational, business and other opportunities.
Matthews, who assumed office on March 1, said the Consulate is seeking to build relationships with universities, businesses, government agencies and other institutions that can provide tangible benefits to Vincentians living in the United States and at home. ‘I want to speak with you this evening in very practical terms about the work of your Consulate here in the United States,’ Matthews, a former Member of Parliament for North Leeward, told a town hall meeting at the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center in Brooklyn.
‘Many people understandably think of the Consulate as the place you contact when you need a passport, a document, or some other consular service,’ he said. ‘And, of course, those responsibilities remain extremely important. But we believe the Consulate must be more than that.’
Matthews said the Consulate is often one of the first points of contact between Vincentians in the United States and the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
He said the office is also positioned to connect nationals with institutions and opportunities in the United States.
‘If we establish a relationship with an organisation, how can that relationship create an opportunity for our people? If we meet a university, how can that benefit a Vincentian student?’ he asked.
Education and opportunities for young people are among the areas the Consulate has identified as priorities, Matthews said.
He said a relationship with Leadership Initiatives has allowed Vincentian students to access scholarship opportunities and participate in practical programmes exposing them to fields including medicine, law, public health, business and international development.
The students also have opportunities to meet leaders in those fields, he said.
Matthews said the Consulate has also begun discussions with Columbia University in New York to explore educational and other opportunities for Vincentians.
He said the office was also in discussions with Taiwan about possible opportunities for young Vincentians living in the United States, including second-generation nationals, to travel to Taiwan to study, experience the culture and gain international exposure.
‘These discussions are still developing, but this is the type of opportunity we want the Consulate to pursue,’ Matthews said.
He said connecting nationals with opportunities requires the Consulate to know more about the Vincentian community in the United States.
Matthews urged Vincentians living in the United States to register with the Consulate through its SVG Diaspora Connect and diaspora registration initiatives.
‘If you are a Vincentian (born, by descent, naturalised, by marriage…), living in the United States, please register with your Consulate,’ he said.
Matthews said registration would help the Consulate understand where nationals are located, their concerns and the skills and expertise within the community.
He said this information would be particularly important during emergencies, allowing the Consulate to identify Vincentians who might be affected by a natural disaster or other major incident and make contact with them where appropriate.
But he said registration was also intended to help the government understand the skills and resources within the diaspora.
The Consulate is developing a registry that Matthews described as a repository of Vincentians living across the United States.
He said the office also wanted to identify doctors, nurses, teachers, contractors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, tradespeople, technology professionals, business owners and students within the diaspora.
‘We also need to understand the tremendous human resources that exist within our Vincentian community,’ Matthews said.
The Consulate has also conducted a Diaspora Needs Assessment to determine the concerns and needs of Vincentians in the United States.
Matthews said the assessment examined issues including barriers to investment in St Vincent and the Grenadines, assistance nationals need, opportunities of interest, skills within the community and what government and the Consulate could do differently.
He said the findings would help determine the Consulate’s priorities and inform recommendations to the government and agencies with which it works.
Matthews also outlined efforts to strengthen the Consulate’s relationships with the New York State Governor’s Office, New York City offices and other agencies.
He said those relationships could help Vincentians access technical assistance, business programmes, grants, training and opportunities to showcase their products.
The Consulate has also assisted nationals interested in establishing businesses in St Vincent and the Grenadines, exploring investment opportunities, exporting products from the United States and identifying relevant government agencies, he said.
Matthews said the office was placing significant emphasis on promoting Vincentian businesses and products.
‘We have been using the Consulate’s relationships to introduce Vincentian products to potential partners, businesses, officials and other contacts both here in the United States and at home,’ he said.
The Consulate is also modernising consular services, including the passport application process.
Matthews said the pilot phase of the initiative had recently been launched, with the focus on making services more seamless while maintaining the legal and security requirements associated with passport applications.
The initiative includes examining how more parts of the process can be completed electronically, improving appointment management and communication, reducing unnecessary visits and allowing applicants to track their passports online.
Matthews said the office would continue to assess and improve the system.
He also said the Consulate had strengthened its relationships with the New York City Police Department and District Attorney’s offices.
He said the relationships would help ensure established channels are available if a Vincentian becomes a victim of crime or encounters a serious situation in New York.
Matthews said discussions with the NYPD had also opened the way for possible training, knowledge-sharing and other areas of cooperation that could eventually benefit institutions in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
‘We are trying to better understand who our people are, where our people are, what our people can do, and what our people need,’ Matthews said.
‘Your government services should not disappear because you live abroad.’