New York, 21 September 2017 - “From small islands come big ideas,” President Danny Faure told world leaders in New York yesterday.

He was referring to action Seychelles has been taking in recent years to find innovative ways to fund sustainable development through the 2030 Agenda and address climate change under the Paris Agreement.

The President was speaking to heads of state and government from around the world gathered in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) hall for the annual General Debate by world leaders.

He informed them that last year Seychelles reached an agreement with the Paris Club and others on a first-of-its-kind US million debt-for-adaptation swap to protect 30% of its 1.37- million-square-kilometre exclusive economic zone, partly as ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change.

Seychelles aimed to follow this up by launching the world's first blue bonds by the end of this year to raise another US million for sustainable fishing practices in its waters.

“Both these measures seek to establish innovative sources of financing to implement Sustainable Development Goal 14 on oceans and seas and other interlinked SDGs as part of developing the Seychelles blue economy,” said the President.

He thanked Seychelles’ many partners at home and abroad who had helped the country on this “bold and exciting new path to sustainable development and resilience to climate change”, and who continued to be actively involved.

The President noted the great success of UN Ocean Conference in New York in June at which Seychelles was highly visible and its Call for Action.

“As President of a large ocean developing state, I would like to reiterate Seychelles’ commitment to continue playing a pioneering role in finding innovative ways to respond to the Call for Action and implement SDG14 as an integral part of all the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda,” Mr Faure said.