President Faure received the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Her Excellency Baroness Patricia Scotland, at State House yesterday morning. The Secretary-General is in Seychelles on an official visit relating to the Commonwealth-Africa innovation workshop, and also to touch base with the President on Seychelles’ blue economy.

Baroness Scotland began by congratulating President Faure and also former President James Michel on their receipt of the Planetary Leadership Award from the National Geographic Society. She said that the Commonwealth family was incredibly proud of their achievements, and that Seychelles continues to lead by example in spearheading global conversation around environmental protection and climate change. She also commended President Faure for delivering the first-ever live speech from a submersible in April this year, as part of the Nekton expedition.

The President thanked the Secretary-General for her words and for the cooperation extended by the Commonwealth over the years, particularly with the Blue Economy Strategic Policy Framework and Roadmap, which was developed with the assistance of the Commonwealth Technical Fund for Cooperation (CTFC).

President Faure and the Secretary-General discussed areas of future cooperation between Seychelles and the Commonwealth, particularly relating to the blue economy and developing an integrated approach to ensure the delivery of the roadmap. This includes the opportunities for trade, and the Commonwealth supporting Seychelles to deliver projects. Baroness Scotland also highlighted other areas where the Commonwealth could assist, such as with climate finance advisors, an information portal for disaster relief funds, or setting up innovation hubs for young entrepreneurs.

The President and Baroness Scotland reaffirmed the shared vision of Seychelles and the Commonwealth and pledged to continue supporting each other. Speaking to the press after the meeting, the Secretary-General described Seychelles as ‘a magnificent example of ocean conservation and environmental management’, saying “the Commonwealth has been hand-in-hand with Seychelles throughout this whole journey, and it has been our pride and pleasure to walk with Seychelles. We will continue to do that because Seychelles’ leadership is not only extraordinary, but gives hope to the other 31 small states in our Commonwealth.”

Also present for the courtesy call this morning was the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Blue Economy, Ambassador Barry Faure, and other officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

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