UN Secretary-General commends Seychelles as frontline partner for issues of concern for the organisation 

Ramkalawan held discussions with Guterres on Monday morning upon his arrival in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. (State House)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The  United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has commended Seychelles for being a frontline partner to the organisation in numerous spheres and on issues of concern for the UN in a meeting with President Wavel Ramkalawan.

According to a press communique from State House on Tuesday, Ramkalawan held discussions with Guterres on Monday morning upon his arrival in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

"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 narcotics trafficking," said the UN Secretary-General.

He added that "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."

Ramkalawan reaffirmed Seychelles' full support in continuing to raise awareness and spearhead advocacy for the advancements of critical global matters, particularly SIDS-related issues.  

Seychelles' 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," he said.

"It is my wish that we continue to strengthen our relations whilst 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," added Ramkalawan.

Other areas of discussion were 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November.