EU supports Seychelles’ climate change strategy |20 July 2012

This is the second disbursement under the three-year-long Climate Change Support

Programme (SCCSP) financed by the EU Global Climate Change Alliance.
 
This assistance comes in addition to the bilateral European Development Fund (EDF)

programme for Seychelles.

The approval for the disbursement of the second tranche of the grant was made against

the backdrop of significant steps undertaken by the government in 2011 in the

implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy.

The key achievements were mainstreaming of the Climate Change Strategy through

development and adoption of key sector strategies and action plans and formulation of

the Seychelles Energy Bill which is scheduled to be enacted this year.

Alessandro Mariani, head of delegation and ambassador, expressed his satisfaction with

Seychelles’ capacity to mainstream sustainable development in the economic reform

agenda.

“I also hope that the Seychelles government will continue to build the required momentum

to harness opportunities under the provisions of the new Energy Bill,” he added.

The objective of the programme is to support sustainable development policies and the

implementation of the priority areas of the Seychelles National Climate Change Strategy,

in a coordinated effort with other donors.
 
The disbursement is the fifth payment made through General Budget Support and brings the

total EU budget support disbursed close to €13.5 million.

 General Budget Support is the main financing tool of cooperation between the EU and

Seychelles, since the Seychelles Economic Reform Programme (SERP) was signed in 2009.

The decision also confirms the progress made by the government of Seychelles towards

restoration of macro-economic stability and sustainable fiscal position as well as

improvement of the country's public financial management, as noted by IMF’s fifth review

of the Extended Fund Facility published on June 6, 2012.