Seychelles president heading to New York for the 70th UN general assembly

Seychelles President James Michel. (Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles President James Michel will be among world leaders attending the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the end of this month in New York.

According to a press statement issued yesterday evening, State House said Michel will also be addressing the “historic” session, as the United Nations is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

The event in New York will also see the launching of the new sustainable development agenda, which sets out 17 goals aimed at ending extreme poverty, ensuring prosperity for all and tackling climate change over the next 15 years.

The new Sustainable Development Agenda will succeed the Millennium Development Goals launched in 2000, which had a set of eight targets, including achieving universal primary education, attaining gender equality and reducing child mortality with the end of 2015 as the deadline for United Nations members to meet the targets.

Stakeholders in Seychelles met at the end of last month to finalise the island nation’s MDG report for 2015.

The previous Millennium Development Goals Status Report, published in November 2013, indicated that the Indian Ocean archipelago had “achieved almost all the MDGs, especially those relating to education, health and social development.”

The post 2015 development agenda that will come into effect in January 2016, will however be covering a larger range of issues than the MDG's, with 17 sustainable development goals and 169 targets that will come into effect in January 2016 when compared to the 8 Millennium Development Goals with 21 targets, which will expire at the end of this year.

“Seychelles has made a strong impact over the past years within the UN system with its work through its active and constructive contribution in major conferences and summits, the outcomes of which have laid a solid foundation for sustainable development and have helped to shape the new agenda. In the process, Seychelles has emerged as a strong proponent of reaching a fair deal for SIDS,” reads the State House statement.

“It is to be underlined that the priorities and concerns of Small Island States (SIDS) are well represented in the sustainable Development Goals. With this new agenda, the international system has now a sustainable vision for SIDS and that AOSIS has a place on the global agenda.”

According to the State House statement, Seychelles being a small island nation, is appreciative of goal 14, which sets out to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources

“It recognises that the Oceanic Space is one which provides for the sustainability of the planet. It will be an opportunity for Seychelles to underscore the importance it attaches to the new agenda and its determination to ensure its implementation, nationally, regionally and globally.”

While in New York, President Michel is also expected to meet with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and other counterparts to share insights and perspectives on shared bilateral and global interests.

The Seychellois Head of State will also participate in the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative at the invitation of the former US President Bill Clinton, which is expected to bring together global leaders from all sectors of society to develop innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

This year the annual meeting is expected to see the launching of the 'Blue Guardians Initiative', which is being developed into a global fund-raising development programme for small island developing states.