Seychelles' President: "When countries invest in healthy living, the climate wins, the planet wins"

Ramkalawan made a special prerecorded address to the 36th annual health ministers of the Commonwealth meeting. (State House)

When countries invest in healthy living, the climate wins, the planet wins, the environment wins and diseases lose, said Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan in a special prerecorded address to the 36th annual health ministers of the Commonwealth meeting.

The annual health ministers of the Commonwealth meeting took place from May 24 to 25 in Geneva, Switzerland, on the margins of the 77th World Health Assembly.

According to State House, Ramkalawan made the address on Saturday, which centred on how Seychelles is adapting to and mitigating the vagaries of climate change to ward off its impact on the health sector. 

"Our national campaign against obesity which I have the honour and privilege to lead is not only an effort to reduce non-communicable diseases but it must also be seen as part of Seychelles' conscious effort to phase out fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions by encouraging walking and cycling as more active and less polluting forms of travel," he said.

Ramkalawan highlighted how global warming is affecting Seychelles and said, "Each country must do its fair share. And fair share must continue to mean that those who have contributed the most and are still contributing the most to damage the climate must now also contribute the most to undo the damage."

Earlier, at the same meeting, Seychelles' Minister for Health, Peggy Vidot, stressed how climate change, resulting in sea-level rise and heavy rainfall, pose a significant threat to Seychelles' health infrastructure and continuity of essential health services.