Seychelles calls for activism in final push towards Millennium Development Goals

Following the finalization of Seychelles’ 3rd Millennium Development Goals report, Vice President Danny Faure has addressed the special event organized by the President of the United Nations General A

Following the finalization of Seychelles’ 3rd Millennium Development Goals report, Vice President Danny Faure has addressed the special event organized by the President of the United Nations General Assembly to follow up efforts made towards achieving the MDGs, calling for activism at the national and global level.

The Vice President spoke at a special roundtable event organized, and highlighted Seychelles’ positive record in achieving the Seychelles Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

“We have sought to strengthen ‘people-centered development’ as a means of achieving these goals, and have sought, where possible, to go beyond the expectations of both our people and the international community,โ€ he said.

The Vice President also stressed, however, that Small Island States such as Seychelles are challenged by an often less than conducive framework for their specific development needs:

“We should not underestimate the risk of losing what we have already achieved under the MDGs. Small Island Developing States in particular have been successful in rapidly multiplying the positives of reaching the MDGs but face a struggle towards mobilizing the right support to sustain this momentum. Many are faced with a development paradox – successful implementation of development objectives including the MDGs has been followed by reduced access to affordable and predictable development mechanisms,” the Vice President added.

The Vice President also called for a โ€œnew sense of activismโ€ to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) meet the requirements of development for the world. He emphasized the importance of the Green Economy and also the Blue Economy, underlining that “to sustain our planet, we must better engage with our oceans as spaces for connection and development rather than spaces for exploitation.โ€

The Vice President was representing Seychelles President James Michel at the event held in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly opened on Tuesday.

During the UNGA gathering in New York, Vice President Faure has also attended the opening reception organized by President Barack Obama of the host country, the United States.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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