Seychelles Roving Ambassador for Climate Change and Sids Issues

STATEMENT

By

HONOURABLE RONNY JUMEAU

SEYCHELLES ROVING AMBASSADOR FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND SIDS ISSUES

At the

AJACCIO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE FOR IMPAC 3

CORSICA, FRANCE

26th OCTOBER 2013

Excellencies, Delegates and Participants,

We all know the many threats affecting our oceans, and Seychelles therefore firmly believes these can only be overcome if we come together through collaboration, through commitment, through effective, genuine and durable partnerships and through a shared concern for our oceans.

Firstly Seychelles wishes to commit to support the launch in 2014 of the Western Indian Ocean Coastal Challenge(WIOCC)in Apia, Samoaduring the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States. Thisregional scale initiative which was called for by my President, James Michel in 2007 is aboutcatalysing the political leadershipof theislands of the Western Indian Ocean and coastal countries of East Africa on marine and coastal issues. It is an instrumental leadership umbrella for all initiatives to come in this region, where even stronger solidarity and further synergies are needed and there is an open invitation for countries and partners to join this initiative.

The member states of the Indian Ocean Commission(IOC) have formally expressed their strong support for the WIOCC. The IOC General Secretary has been mandated to table the WIOCC at the next council of ministers and to support the launch of this initiative at the Samoa SIDS summit next year.

The Nairobi Convention Conference of the Parties (COP)have also taken decisions in support of the WIOCC which have been very useful in paving the road to the launch and we in turn support the Nairobi Convention in its implementation of these decisions.

The Western Indian Ocean isdefinitely a priority region with very high biodiversity and is internationally recognized for its significance. The WIO-CCistherefore agiant step forward in implementing the Aichi targets and addressing conservation and sustainable livelihoods across our region, in other words, in embodyingoceankind–by underlining the strong link and relationships between people, in particular local communities and our ocean.

The Western Indian Ocean Coastal Challengeis underpinned by a common vision for addressing climate change impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems especially through ecosystem based adaptation and the sustainable development of our region. It is our contribution to building a blue economy: for ocean based and coastal economies no development is possible without healthy ecosystems.

Seychellessupports and is learning from other regional challenges in our role as chair of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA). Islands around the world offer a geopolitical network for, and are key players in, addressing the international targets for oceans.

The Global Island Parntership therefore commits itself to work with all islands (irrespective of political status), to share bright spots, or successful initiatives that we can build on and use to make the case that real achievement is possible for oceans during next year’s CBD International Day of Biodiversity which will focus on island biodiversity and during 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States.

We also look forward to the coming Conference on European Overseas Entities, six years after we were inspired by the message of La Reunion. It is another milestone for progress within the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity. As islands and the biggest marine territory in the world, the EU Overseas Entities are obviously our friends and are therefore welcome in our Global Island Partnership.

Last, I would like to announce a national commitment to demonstrate we Seychelles mean what we say. We have begun negotiation with the Paris Club to swap part of Seychelles debt for funds to turn 30% of our marine territory, which is 3000 times our land territory, into protected area with half of that, that is 15% of our EEZ as no take zone. So depending on the pace of negotiation with our creditors we hope to conclude our dept for adaptation swamp by the SIDS meeting in September 2014 and definitely by the date of Aichi Target 11.

Let me conclude by stating that now is the time for bold action if we are to have the kind of future we all want for our peoples and oceans. It is imperative that countries large and small work in partnership at the global level for the common cause of creating a better future for our people and the next generations while maintaining the integrity of mother earth.

I thank you for your attention.