Accreditation of four Representatives of the United Nations Agencies to Seychelles

Four new representatives of the United Nations (UN) agencies, namely: the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), presented their credentials to Mr. Sylvestre Radegonde, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Tourism, at the Foreign Affairs Department, Maison Quéau de Quinssy, this morning.

Minister Radegonde congratulated the representatives on their accreditation and, on behalf of the Government, he thanked the UN agencies for the support that they have provided to Seychelles over the years. Minister Radegonde affirmed Seychelles’ commitment and mentioned that “As a proud member of your agencies, Seychelles remains focused and committed to engaging on different issues that are instrumental and crucial for our development.”

The UN representatives commended Seychelles for its resilience and management of the COVID-19 pandemic. They updated the Minister They updated the on the various areas of cooperation between Seychelles and their respective agencies, as well as upcoming projects and expected outcomes. A strong cooperation, which Minister Radegonde further noted as having the potential to “broaden”.

The UN representatives comprised of Mr. Hubert Gijzen Regional Director and Representative for UNESCO, Mr. Charles Mbuli Boliko, Country Representative for FAO; Dr. Coffi Agossou, Country Director for ILO; and Mr. Koffi Kouame, Country Director for UNFPA; and they are all present in Seychelles to participate in the annual UN Country Team Retreat, which gathers all the Heads of UN agencies. They were accompanied by Mrs. Christine Umutoni, UN Resident Coordinator for Seychelles and Mauritius.

Also present during the accreditation ceremony were Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Ms. Amenda Padayachy, Director-General for Multilateral Affairs; and other senior officials of the Foreign Affairs Department.