Another Vincentian has taken up a Commonwealth post.

Searchlight’s Carlos James is in London, where he would be attached to the Communications and Public Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat as an intern. James joins another Vincentian, Andrew Simmons, who is currently serving as Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Youth Programme.{{more}}

While at the Commonwealth Secretariat head office James will be a part of the Communications team responsible for research, initiating and developing ideas, as well as raising awareness on various activities of the Secretariat.

James, who last year, was awarded a Pan American Health Organisation award for excellence in Health Journalism, will particularly be focussing on HIV/AIDS, youth and education awareness predominantly affecting less developed countries.

While in London, James will pay courtesy calls to this Country’s High Commissioner His Excellency Cenio Lewis and Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon.

James, who has been employed at the Searchlight for the past five years, is expected to join a team of delegates, as part of the Communications and Public Affairs Division team, to the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOG) Conference in Malta from November 25 to 27 this year.

“The Commonwealth Secretariat functions in a multi-cultural environment and it will be a learning experience for me. My aim is to acquire and pool the necessary knowledge to utilize back home, as my primary focus is the development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines from a more holistic point of reasoning,” James told Searchlight.

James said while he is in London he will be preaching the importance of “fair” trade, which will throw some support behind banana and other agricultural producing states in the Caribbean and Latin America.