Seychelles President meets UN and Commonwealth Secretary Generals in the margins of the general assembly in New York

Seychelles President James Michel engaged in talks with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the margins of the general assembly on Tuesday. (Mervyn Marie, Seychelles News Agency)

(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles President James Michel and the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon have held discussions on several issues including climate change, the blue economy as well as the relevance of the United Nations in relation to present day realities.

The two leaders met in margins of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

In a press statement issued this afternoon, State House said Michel had expressed confidence in the UN chief’s abilities “to steer the UN through another year of progressive dialogue and give overall guidance.”

The Seychellois Head of State also stated that he believed the principles of the UN charter dating back to 70 years ago was still relevant, although he called for a renewed spirit of the UN Charter by the international community.

When addressing the issue of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Michel thanked Ban Ki-moon for supporting Seychelles’ role as an advocate of solutions to challenges faced by SIDS.

“Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon shared President Michel's hope that a binding agreement on climate change would emerge from the Paris Conference in Paris at the end of this year,” reads the statement.

The Seychelles president also took the opportunity to update the UN Secretary General on the Blue Economy concept the Indian Ocean archipelago is actively promoting locally as well as on the international scene.

“On his part Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and hoped that concrete action would be taken in order to achieve its primary objectives.” 

President James Michel and the Seychelles delegation holding discussions with the Commonwealth Secretary General. (Mervyn Marie, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

In another high level meeting, the Seychellois Head of State and his delegation engaged with the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma. Key projects which the commonwealth and Seychelles are collaborating on and the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of State Summit to be held in Malta later this year, were among issues touched on.

“Seychelles is one of the smallest members of the Commonwealth yet we hold weight and moral authority beyond our size. Seychelles is proudly a member of this organisation and we will continue to contribute to its vibrancy,” said Michel in a State House statement published this afternoon. 

Seychelles President James Michel and the Commonwealth Secretary General addressed several issues including key projects the two sides are collaborating on and the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of State Summit in Malta. (Mervyn Marie, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

The way the Commonwealth’s strengths can be used to address global issues, from climate change, human rights, gender equality and to build strong resilience among SIDS within the organisation and further afield were also explored.

"Mr. Michel also had positive discussions the Secretary-General on the election reform process in Seychelles. Mr Sharma took noted of the positive measures taken."

According to the State House statement the Commonwealth Secretary General has solicited Seychelles support for the Commonwealth Trade Finance Facility, which is seeking to ensure greater use of trade finance contributing to the growth of smaller economies, which would otherwise be at a disadvantage.