08 November 2022 | Foreign Affairs.
Mr President,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The people of Seychelles express our support and solidarity with all nations that have experienced the terrible effects of climate change lately. We stand by you as you mourn those who have disappeared and as you rebuild your towns and villages.
Is COP a counting game(26, 27, 28…) or a real countdown to saving our planet? I pray that we leave Egypt with good decisions and pledges that will be followed by concrete actions instead of another set of empty promises.
Like other islands, we contribute less to the destruction of the planet, yet we suffer the most. For example, the carbon emissions of Seychelles are very low, and we clean up through our mangroves and seagrass meadows, thus making us a zero contributor to the destruction of the planet, yet our islands are disappearing and our coasts are being destroyed.
It is an honour to announce that in 2023, Seychelles will further contribute in mitigation by moving to 100% protection of all its mangroves and seagrass meadows, adding to the already 32% protection of our ocean and 50% of our forests.
We insist that the Multi Vulnerability Index (MVI) should be the new order. SIDS are vulnerable and we need access to concessionary funding in order to defend ourselves against climate change while fulfilling the SDGs to give our people a better life. Industrialised nations must pay greater attention to the Damage and Loss agenda. We, the oceanic states that receive the harsh effects of your activities have to be assisted in repairing the damage you cause to us.
Seychelles is playing a leadership role. We are building strong partnerships however small we are. This year we welcomed the Ocean Race Summit to discuss the urgency of saving our one ocean, later we offered the venue for the first European Blue Invest Forum outside Europe to put emphasis on financing the Blue Economy and late last month we welcomed Prince Albert of Monaco and the Monaco research expedition in the search for resilient corals, plus we are active in promoting the Great Blue Wall project.
Seychelles takes its participation seriously – we initiated the first Blue Bonds, participated in Debt for Nature Swap and we are an Ocean and Blue Economy champion.
Let us be good partners, let us give our youth a better planet and may we leave Egypt with enhanced hope and commitment to save our one and only blue planet.
I thank you.
