At the UN Ocean Conference in New York |09 June 2017

VP Meriton thanks Commonwealth for technical help

Vice-President Vincent Meriton has expressed his thanks to the Commonwealth Secretariat for the support given to Seychelles over the years, particularly for vital technical help provided through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation.

The vice-president was speaking with Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland during a bilateral meeting at the Commonwealth’s small states office on the margins of the United Nations’ Ocean Conference taking place in New York, United States of America.

Vice-President Meriton also underscored the strong bond of friendship that exists between Seychelles and the Commonwealth.

He emphasised that “the ocean is the basis of tourism and trade for Seychelles,” noting the government’s commitment to moving forward toward a blue economy with the same momentum with which Seychelles has done in the past.

“The Republic of Seychelles looks forward to the opportunity to submit another request to be considered by the Office of the Commonwealth Secretariat to further support efforts toward strengthening the blue economy, especially around improving the collection of critical data resources,” VP Meriton told Mrs Scotland.

He also emphasised that, as an island, Seychelles’ survival is on the line; the commitment of Seychelles to sustainability is for “the long haul”, both for small islands and for the larger countries of the world.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Scotland observed that “Seychelles has punched way above its weight in its international environmental leadership,” noting also that it has been evident to her the commitment of everyone in the government of Seychelles to the country.

Noting the increasing challenges around funding, the secretary general underscored the importance of pooling knowledge around generic problems that may be shared across the Commonwealth nations.

“The Commonwealth secretariat recognised the achievements made by Seychelles and the way that it has taken excellent advantage of the support provided by the Commonwealth ‒ something which the secretary general will take seriously in future requests for help around capturing data,” said Mrs Scotland.

Stressing the importance of moving beyond conventional types of mitigation and adaptation, Secretary General Scotland also highlighted the importance of a regenerative, restorative approach to climate change, oceans, and the environment.

Mrs Scotland reiterated the commitment of the Commonwealth secretariat to supporting Seychelles on climate change and oceans. She also stressed that the story of Seychelles is the story of the small island state, and noted that Seychelles has played a leadership role for islands.

Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Didier Dogley; Ambassador Ronald Jumeau; deputy chief of Protocol and Presidential Affairs Larrey Chetty; Dominique Benzaken, Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj, were also present during the meeting.

Meanwhile, the government of Seychelles and the Commonwealth Secretariat hosted a high-level roundtable at the conference, bringing together leaders and senior ministers from Commonwealth oceanic states.

The side event was opened by the Prime Minister of Fiji, co-chair of the conference, and included participation from Bangladesh, Barbados, Cyprus, Grenada and Tonga, as well as representatives from UNCTAD and civil society.

The roundtable examined the role of the Commonwealth in supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 with reference to maximising innovation and economic opportunities in the development of blue economies. Ensuring fairness, equity, and women’s empowerment and mobilising Commonwealth partnerships and support were also addressed.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Scotland discussed the proposed development of a ‘Blue Charter’, a set of guiding principles for sustainable, fair and equitable ocean economic development based on the Charter of the Commonwealth. The speakers also discussed their experience of blue economy successes and hurdles and explored ways in which individual country needs and experiences can be supported.