President Ramkalawan meets head of UNESCO

President Ramkalawan meets head of UNESCO

Paris, France 15 February: Whilst on mission in Paris France, President Wavel Ramkalawan also held talks with the Director General of UNESCO, Mrs Audrey Azoulay at the UNESCO Headquarters yesterday afternoon.
During their discussions, President Ramkalawan conveyed to Mrs Azoulay the sincere appreciation of the people of Seychelles for the longstanding support provided to Seychelles by UNESCO. He highlighted the recent inscription of the‘moutya’ dance on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity. He also expressed his gratitude on being named as one of the Patrons of the Ocean Decade Alliance alongside the Prime Minister of Norway.
“Seychelles is grateful for all the support UNESCO has extended to us over the years. My country is immensely proud to host two World Heritage Sites ‘Aldabra and Vallée de Mai and one Category II Centre of UNESCO- the Seychelles IECD for Early Childhood Development. We recently also had the ‘Moutya Dance’, inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. And as a son of Seychelles to be appointed a Patron of the Ocean Decade Advisory Board set up by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO is an honour of the greatest magnitude” said President Ramkalawan.
In accepting the nomination to the Ocean Decade Alliance as a member and Patron, the President said he strongly believes that ocean science diplomacy has a crucial role to play in facilitating the emergence and application of sciences needed to support ocean governance and its management at all levels. “UNESCO, especially through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, has provided capable and sustained leadership in this and other related areas. Seychelles will continue to provide the IOC with the support that is required in the pursuit of our common endeavour and in the implementation of the objectives of the Ocean Decade.”
On her part the DG UNESCO, Mrs Azoulay congratulated Seychelles for its various achievements in the domain of climate change advocacy despite being a Small Island Developing State (SIDS). She further reaffirmed the commitment of UNESCO in advancing the priorities of SIDS and in further echoing the vulnerabilities of Small Island nations are facing in the global arena.
The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss new avenues of cooperation and how Seychelles can further benefit from key UNESCO programmes and frameworks. Hence, further advance agendas of mutual interests, not only for the country but also for the greater good of the SIDS community, the world and humanity.

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President Ramkalawan addresses UNESCO Africa Group
Paris, France 15 February: Following his participation at the ‘One Ocean Summit’ in Brest, the President of the Republic, Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan yesterday addressed the UNESCO Africa Group at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) in Paris.
In his statement, President Ramkalawan underlined how the Heads of State and Government at the 35th African Union Assembly and the upcoming 06th AU-EU Summit to be held in Brussels days apart attest to the milestones that the African continent has made in accomplishing the Pan-African vision of having an “integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena”.
The President urged the Ambassadors as representatives of the African continent to ensure that Agenda 2063 of the African agenda permeates as the core values of their collective enterprise, priorities and national policies. He stressed on how it is also crucial to ensure due consideration is given to the vulnerabilities of African Small Island Developing States(SIDs) in their decision-making.
“As representatives of Africa, your Group needs to remain active in the discourse taking place in the lab of ideas and the standards-setting body that is UNESCO. We must progress the African agenda by championing our values and knowledge systems. In doing so, we will be contributing to the decolonisation of knowledge and encouraging the emergence of a more equitable world order,” said President Ramkalawan.
He continued, “Ocean science and the knowledge generated therefrom should be one of our priorities. In this regard, UNESCO-IOC has been designated as the lead agency in the implementation of the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences in Sustainable Development. Global ocean governance initiatives and existing institutions must be strengthened and financial mechanisms need to be leveraged to enhance our capacity to address the sustainable management of our ocean and coasts. The success of the implementation of the Ocean Decade will, in a large measure, depend on you, on tangible commitments from UNESCO’s Member States. The Ocean Decade Alliance has been established for that purpose. I have been invited to become a Patron of the Alliance. I count on your support to enable Seychelles to achieve the ambitions of the Ocean Decade as well as the objectives of Agenda 2030.”
On behalf of the people of Seychelles, the Head of State took the opportunity to thank UNESCO and the representatives of African member states for supporting the nomination of the ‘moutya’ dance as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
«Comme vous le savez déjà, la danse moutia représente aux Seychelles un symbole fort de liberté, de résistance et de dénonciation de l’injustice, notamment au temps de l’esclavage. Le peuple seychellois a accueilli cette inscription au patrimoine mondial culturel, comme une reconnaissance de son art. Face à la mondialisation effrénée à laquelle on assiste aujourd’hui, voilà pour moi un acte historique qui encourage le respect d’autres modes de vie et participe au dialogue interculturel. Il consacre le statut de la moutia comme un emblème culturel national et sa reconnaissance internationale, » he said.
To conclude, the President reiterated Seychelles’ adherence to UNESCO’s noble ideals of peace and reaffirmed the conviction that through dialogue, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and development were the best choices for African countries to face any challenge.
During the UNESCO African Group plenary session, the Ambassadors also had the opportunity to interact with President Ramkalawan through brief discussions where they commended him on being one of the four African Heads of State who represented the voice of Africa at the ‘One Ocean’ Summit in Brest, France and for being named by UNESCO as a Patron for the Decade of the Ocean.
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