President James Michel’s overseas missions |31 December 2015

Improving Seychelles’ stature on the international front

President James Michel’s foreign forays this year got him a lot of press attention locally and internationally and at the same time they naturally helped to improve Seychelles’ stature on the international front.

The number of times he got on a plane naturally declined following the announcement of the presidential election as he moved his focus to the domestic front – and to an extent this was expected and justifiable.

Call on Pope Francis

The President’s first trip was to Rome, Italy where he met Pope Francis during an official visit to the Vatican on April 30 and conveyed to His Holiness, with much joy and emotion, a message of peace and prayers on behalf of the people of Seychelles.

He indicated that the entire Seychellois nation was in total communion with him and the whole Catholic Church.

President Michel and Pope Francis welcomed the long-lasting, special and privileged nature of the relationship between the Holy See and Seychelles, emphasising that these relations were rooted in faith and spirituality.

At the same time, they reiterated their engagement to nourish and strengthen these bonds. These Christian values, President Michel added, were the most important elements which united the people of Seychelles as a nation, and which gave full meaning to human dignity and which permitted the development of the country in peace and unity.

Pope Francis emphasised that peace and unity were indispensable assets which must at all costs be preserved, lived and grown constantly. The Pope encouraged President Michel to continue working with the Church in Seychelles to consolidate and strengthen the gains of the development of the country with stability and progress.

In this regard, President Michel thanked the Church for its contribution to the well-being of the people of Seychelles through its spiritual works, education and social services. The Pope was very attentive to the mutual collaboration between the Catholic church and the state in promoting the family and the development of the potential of the youth, particularly in the context of the implementation of the Programme of Social Renaissance to find lasting solutions to the social challenges afflicting the Seychellois society. Families and youth in particular had an indispensable role to play in the renewal of society, said the Pope.

The President hailed the foresightedness and the vision of the Pope on major current affairs, his engagement to the service of peace and development, and to harmony and understanding between peoples.  In this context, the President underlined the importance of dialogue across cultures and religions, as advocated by the Pope.

The Pope congratulated President Michel for his determined leadership in these critical matters, in collaboration with other insular states, to combat the impacts of climate change. He stressed that "creation is a marvelous gift of God, and we should take care of it and use it with much respect and gratitude for the benefit of all”.

In addition, President Michel shared the Pope's engagement in the struggle against the growing poverty and inequality in the world. He supported the call to put people and their well-being at the centre of economic and political life.

"We are conscious that the progress of a nation is not measured simply by economic indicators.  Our ambition in Seychelles is to build a prosperous country with a high standard of life, consistent with our cultural and spiritual values," highlighted President Michel.

The President asserted that in this world which remained imperfect, with a need to rethink and rebuild, especially in the context of emerging new challenges, the words of the Pope were a source of inspiration and wisdom, which would make the world more fraternal, caring and responsible.

At the end of the meeting, Pope Francis gave his blessings for Seychelles, for the people of Seychelles, and for President Michel and the government he led, and for his family, saying that he kept them in his prayers, in faith and communion.

On the same occasion, he addressed his wishes of peace for the entire Seychellois nation in building its future founded on spiritual and human values. President Michel invited Pope Francis to visit Seychelles, telling him how happy and honored the people of Seychelles would be to welcome him.  Such a visit by the head of the Catholic church to Seychelles would also be symbolic of a visit to an Indian Ocean island with African roots.

‘Women will change Africa’

In June, Mr Michel attended the 25th African Union Summit held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa under the theme ‘Year of Women Empowerment and Development Towards Africa Agenda 2063’.

Seychelles won the ‘Gender Parity Award’ at the summit and this is testimony of the importance the government attaches to women development and recognition of the country’s efforts to close existing shortfalls through significantly increased investment.

Seychelles was ranked first in Africa for the gender sub-category in the 2014 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which rated 52 African countries on eight different indicators including gender equality, gender balance in education, women's participation in the labour force, women in parliament, among others.

The award for gender parity presented at the AU summit was in recognition of Seychelles’ efforts to actively promote gender equality and empower women and girls. And this, in different sectors, namely government, health, education, legislature, business, among others.

President Michel, who led the country’s delegation at the summit, described the recognition as an “opportunity to take stock of what we have done and move forward to do better still to make Africa progress”.

When he addressed his fellow African leaders, President Michel said: “Women will change Africa. Women will make Africa better. We cannot have economic development, or economic integration, without the active participation of women.”

He said “for women to change Africa we must remove the barriers that stand in their way”.

“It is time we free ourselves from the internal dynamics that are holding us back. Africa cannot stand still; we have to move forward. Indeed, we cannot ignore our culture. But we need to acknowledge that as our societies progress and evolve, so too, does our culture,” said President Michel.

He also said we must put an end to child marriage, and other cultural practices that are detrimental to women’s development and deny them access to the tools they need.

Education and healthcare are prerequisites, he said.

“We know it because Seychellois women have changed Seychelles. In the spirit of sharing experiences and offering contributions, I am proud to say that in Seychelles, the women empowerment story is a success story. Seychelles has built itself on people-centred development and gender equality is a cornerstone of this philosophy. We cannot have people-centred development if half of the people are discriminated against,” noted Mr Michel.

“With access to education, and maternal healthcare, women have transformed the economic landscape in Seychelles. Beyond the political spheres, where we have strong female representation in our national assembly, we have over 50% of female students in our university, we have women leading the workforce in management positions, and growing in numbers in non-traditional sectors such as our maritime and defence forces, as well as IT and computer sciences, and, when given access to affordable loans, women are demonstrating their entrepreneurship with new and varied enterprises. They are an important pillar of our economy,” added the President who also met the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, on the margins of the AU Summit and their discussions centred on the Blue Economy as well as the inclusion of the concept which Seychelles is actively promoting in the Agenda 2063

India gifts Seychelles naval boat, aircraft on Michel’s state visit

In August, India agreed to gift Seychelles an Interceptor Coastguard boat and a second Dornier aircraft.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this at the end of a restricted meeting with President James Michel who was on a three-day state visit in India.

The meeting was followed by the signing of five agreements. Seychelles’ Foreign Affairs and Transport Minister Joël Morgan and Indian Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar exchanged the documents for the five agreements inked by the two countries to strengthen their ties.

The five documents relate to the exchange of information with regard to taxes; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for providing one Dornier maritime aircraft; an air services agreement; a protocol on framework of cooperation on the Blue economy; a MoU in agricultural research and education.

Prime Minister Modi and President Michel witnessed the agreements signing at Hyderabad House.

There was also a presentation of navigational chart of the island of Aldabra to Minister Morgan.

Mr Modi termed Seychelles a key strategic partner for India and said President Michel's visit has imparted additional momentum to bilateral relations.

President Michel said, in his media statement, his visit to India within five months of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Seychelles "illustrates the unique relationship the two have on shared values and aspirations".

He said both Seychelles and India have common goals in the Indian Ocean Rim Association and that the agreements inked would pave the way for enhancement of bilateral ties.

He added that the vibrant Indian community in Seychelles which is part and parcel of the long history of our country and which shapes our common destiny is a catalyst in bolstering this strategic partnership and our convergent bilateral interests.

“Our common goals in the Indian Ocean and the importance we attach to the strengthening of our only pan Indian Ocean organisation, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, have also been of critical importance in imparting both substance and momentum to our relationship. This visit and my extremely fruitful and constructive discussions with Prime Minister Modi have reinforced my conviction in the strength and importance of this partnership,” said President Michel, who noted that the agreements signed have paved the way for the enhancement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

He expressed appreciation for the Dornier aircraft, which he said would significantly enhance security of his country.

Mr Michel said Seychelles has expressed willingness to be a partner in the maritime security cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

“We are pleased to have India as a partner in the development of our Blue Economy. Our cooperation in this field gives us the chance to build economic opportunities while also sustaining future generations.

Mr Modi expressed appreciation for Seychelles' support for India's candidature for permanent membership of an expanded UN security council.

He also conveyed India's "desire to work with small island developing states to realise their vision of Samoa Pathway and to be a source of strength for each other in international forums".

He also thanked Seychelles for its support in making the International Day of Yoga a big success.

‘We have a duty and an obligation to change the world we live in’

In September, President Michel was among the world leaders who attended the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America.

This was the largest gathering of presidents and prime ministers ever at the United Nations. Some of them assembled in New York under one roof for the first time in years, and their job was to wrestle with global crises that they stubbornly disagreed on, including climate change, the war in Syria, and a historic exodus of people fleeing conflict and hunger.

The Seychelles President told the UN General Assembly that we have a duty and an obligation to change the world we live in, to make it a better place for the present generation and for future generations.

President Michel, who has been making Seychelles a world leader in sustainable development, placed emphasis on having a standard for global governance of the oceans and the seas, adding that Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda is of particular importance to all small island developing states (Sids) and coastal states.

“It presents us with the unique opportunity to set a standard for global governance of the oceans and the seas. The goal of conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, provides the thrust for the Blue Economy. This concept has been adopted by many Sids as a mechanism to realise sustainable growth, based around an ocean economy and ocean governance,” said President Michel.

He noted that the Barbados Programme of Action, the Mauritius strategy and the Samoa Pathway are the key to this.

“For oceanic nations the sea is our lifeblood and the Blue Economy is the catalyst upon which we learn to thrive. But we cannot thrive in an environment of insecurity. Maritime security is of the utmost importance to the vast majority of Sids and to coastal states. In our part of the world, though piracy is on the wane, we must remain vigilant. However, as we have demonstrated in the case of piracy, global alliances have made a difference in providing security when there was none,” noted President Michel who thanked the United Nations and other international partners for their support in Seychelles’ fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Looking ahead to the Paris Climate Change Conference in December this year, President Michel called on all nations to use the little time left to build further momentum and support in order to reach an ambitious and universal agreement to combat climate change.

“Paris is not just another international negotiation. It will be the crucial and decisive moment of choice for all of us.

“We cannot allow ourselves to be condemned to the wrong side of history by our collective failure to reach an agreement. The stakes are too high. An agreement is within our reach provided we are able to summon collective political will and leadership. The time is now. We can make it happen. We must make it happen. We must fulfil promises and commitments made, especially in terms of financing options to build climate resilience. In this regard, we call on all developed countries to fulfil their commitments for the mobilisation of $100 billion annually, by 2020, for the operationalisation of the Green Climate Fund,” President Michel insisted.

The President then called on United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the UN headquarters in New York.

Still in New York, during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) special session on ‘Sustainable Oceans’ on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s general debate, President Michel said “we need to understand and have a dialogue with the ocean to be able to have sustainable development”.

Mr Michel was joined on the discussion panel by Ted Danson, actor and member of the board of directors of Oceana Inc.; American oceanographer Sylvia Earle, founder and chairman of The Sylvia Earle Alliance; and Maria José González, executive director of the Mesoamerican Reef Fund.

Vice media chief executive and co-founder Shane Smith moderated the discussion panel after former United States of America President Bill Clinton had delivered his opening remarks for the meeting held at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City.

In announcing The Blue Guardians Commitment to Action, President Bill Clinton mentioned President Michel as an example of leaders helping to ensure resilient and sustainable oceans by protecting large areas of it.

The annual CGI meetings bring together heads of state, leading chief executives, philanthropists, and members of the media to ease discussion and forward-thinking initiatives that challenge the way we impact the future.

“Climate change is hurting the sea which is the lifeblood of our Blue Planet,” said President Michel inside a packed room an in relation to what needs to be done at national level to ensure sustainable oceans, he noted that “nothing works, nothing will succeed, without ownership”.

On a global scale, the President called for “increased sustainable ocean governance” to “determine the future of the earth by saving the ocean”.

Compiled by G. G.