President Ramkalawan holds talks with UN SG ahead of UNGA78 |20 September 2023
President Ramkalawan meets UN secretary general Antonio Guterres
President Wavel Ramkalawan held discussions with the United Nations (UN) secretary general (SG), António Guterres, on Monday morning upon his arrival in New York.
President Ramkalawan, accompanied by the ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles to the United States of America and Seychelles’ permanent representative to the United Nations, Ian Madeleine, called on SG Guterres at the United Nations headquarters in New York, ahead of the Seychelles delegation’s participation at the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78).
To open discussions, the UN SG commended Seychelles for being a frontline partner to the United Nations in numerous spheres and issues of concern for the UN such as the climate crisis, the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index and for being a strong voice for other small island developing states (Sids).
He also equally commended and expressed appreciation for how Seychelles is an inclusive society and is a leading nation at various levels.
“Seychelles is at the frontline of a number of matters that the UN is calling member states to advocate for, such as the SDGs, climate action, peace and security and the fight against narcotic trafficking. Seychelles is a very active country on the global platform and leading in a number of priority areas for the advancement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Seychelles is doing an immense job in the narcotic fight and the UN stands ready to deepen the cooperation with the government of Seychelles in this field,” said SG Guterres.
On his part, President Ramkalawan reaffirmed Seychelles’ full support in continuing to raise awareness and spearhead advocacy for the advancements of critical global matters particularly Sids related issues. The head of state acknowledged the progress made so far, and commended the UN for the dedication, commitment and efforts that have gone towards conceptualising and developing a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI).
“We are immensely grateful for all the support and look forward to our further collaboration particularly in regards to moving further towards a more action oriented implementation of the MVI as well as to see the Loss and Damage Fund established. It is my wish that we continue to strengthen our relations while also exploring further collaboration with the UN and its relevant agencies to enhance capacity-building, technical assistance, and international cooperation in addressing the drug problem, aligning with global strategies and leveraging shared expertise.”
Other areas of discussion to enhance cooperation included heightening efforts in the fight against drug trafficking, maritime security, food security as well as climate change priorities ahead of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November.
Contributed