The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, met with the new United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Representative for Eastern Africa, Mr Amado Philip De Andres, during a courtesy visit to State House this afternoon.

The President welcomed Mr De Andres to Seychelles and congratulated him on his appointment as the new UNODC Regional Representative for Eastern Africa, which covers Seychelles and 13 other countries. He also conveyed his appreciation to UNODC for having been a key and faithful partner to Seychelles over the years.

“I would like to thank UNODC for all its support throughout the years. UNODC has been working with Seychelles since 2009, helping to boost our capabilities with regards to law and order. I would like to sincerely express our gratitude to UNODC as it was very much a reliable partner when we were in need. I am confident that Seychelles and UNODC will continue this active cooperation in Maritime Security and other areas,” said President Faure.

During the meeting, the delegation briefed the President on upcoming projects and new areas of cooperation set to further consolidate existing relations in areas of mutual interest. These areas include an increased presence of UNODC in Seychelles through the setting up of an office for a permanent UNODC representative, support for the Maritime Security Strategy, combatting drug trafficking, Drug Demand Reduction Strategy with a combined approach from both Law Enforcement and Health, prison reforms, and the possibility of developing new avenues such as capacity building in the anti-corruption sector.

Mr De Andres will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and leaves the country tomorrow.

Also present for the meeting at State House today was the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Head of the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP), Mr Alan Cole, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Programme Coordinator Regional Office for South Asia, Mr Shanaka Jayasekara.