The President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Mr. Sam Kutesa, has paid a courtesy call on President Michel this morning at State house. Mr. Kutesa is in Seychelles on a working visit whereby he has also held meetings with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam and other Seychellois officials. Mr Kutesa is also the Foreign Minister of Uganda.

President Michel, who had met with President Kutesa last year in the margins of the UN Climate Summit in New York, welcomed him on his first visit to Seychelles and expressed his wish that they keep up the momentum in instilling greater impetus to ensure that the remaining climate change challenges are effectively dealt with by 2015.

“The government of Seychelles is pleased that the United Nations has accepted ocean development and the concept of the Blue Economy as part of its development goals. The Blue Economy does not only represent small islands states but all the coastal states of all continents, Kenya, Somalia, Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa….It has a massive potential for Africa, for the continent, for the islands of the coastal states and together we can harness its potential in a sustainable way, so that we can develop our resources,” said the President.

During the meeting this morning, Mr. Kutesa briefed the President on the work he is doing as the President of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He spoke about the Post-2015 Development agenda, Sustainable Development Agenda and climate change issues, which were also discussed in the United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Apia, Samoa in 2014.

In an interview with the national media after his meeting, the President of the UNGA said that he briefed President Michel on important issues. He also commended President Michel for the work Seychelles is doing in promoting the Blue Economy concept and the protection of the oceans.

“My meeting with the President is a follow up of the discussions we had last year in New York. The President attended not only the General Assembly but the Summit on Climate Change, and these very crucial issues to follow through. So I wanted to talk to him and greet his new ideas so that we can keep the monitoring,” said the Mr. Kutesa. 

The Seychelles Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean-Paul Adam said that the African countries can achieve a lot together in areas  such as the Blue Economy better mobilising Africa's oceanic spaces.

“The Post-2015 Agenda is about transformation of African countries and developing countries around the world, about being able to seize their own opportunities. There is a shortfall of resources so we have to make our own resources, so this is the message that we are bringing out together. That African countries can do a lot of things for ourselves and that we can also mobilise better private sector resources and we can find opportunities that are mutually beneficial. We can create more wealth for the African people, whether in the island states, in coastal countries and all African countries, because we all depend for example on the ocean for trade and for development,” said Minister Adam in his interview with the local media.

Also present at the meeting was the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Barry Faure, the President's Diplomatic Adviser, Ambassador Callixte D'Offay, the Personal Assistant to Mr. Kutesa, Mr. Nkayivu Ssennabulya, the Seychelles Honorary Consul for Uganda, Mr. Elly Karuhanga and WHO Laison Officer, Dr. Cornela Atsyor, representing the UN system in Seychelles.

Editor’s Note:
-    The United Nations will commemorate its 70th anniversary this year.
-    Seychelles joined the United Nations in 1976.