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Minister launches
Small Islands Voice 2004 project for Seychelles
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Minister for Environment Mr Ronny Jumeau has said that any initiative
that improves consultation and dialogue between civil society
and government is healthy for democracy and progress and as such
is heartily welcome.
Minister
Jumeau made this remark when delivering a speech during a cocktail
reception held at the Sea front Restaurant earlier this week to
officially launch the small Island's Voice
2004 initiative, a project which seeks to overcome the isolation
of small islands by building capacity and strengthening internal,
regional and inter-regional communication.
The
minister pointed out that the project would go to the core of
the manner of government delivery to the people as it would ensure
that development and environmental activities and decisions were
even more in tune with community wishes and concerns.
| Minister
Jumeau (above) addressing the guests during the launching
ceremony |
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Mr
Jumeau said that he was personally keen that the project would
directly engage young Seychellois in a continuos debate and exchange
on environment and development issues beyond Seychelles as they
would reach to youths in the region through the internet and also
exchange views and opinions with others in the Caribbean and Pacific
region as well.
Saying
that the regional and inter-regional aspects of the project would
enable the small island voices scattered across the world to come
together to be heard in the global arena, Minister Jumeau said
that the new development would take the already environmentally-conscious
Seychellois society to new heights of communication, consultation
and inter-action.
He
said that the project would act as a catalyst for more creativity
and originality in changing attitudes and behaviours within government
as well as civil society.
The
minister thanked the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) for the project, for backing Seychelles as the small
island voice of the Indian Ocean and for its continuing efforts
to help Seychelles ensure sustainable development in harmony with
its environment and in tune with its people
He
congratulated Mr Nureldin Satti, who was present, on his appointment
as the Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Dar-es-Salaam.
The
minister assured Dr Gillian Cambers, UNESCO's consultant for the
project that his ministry was an enthusiastic partner.
Earlier,
in his opening speech, the director General for Policy, Planning
and Services division, Mr Rolph Payet, said that the project was
an effective process to engage the civil society in the country's
development and social progress and was also vital for the press
and the media community. Mr Payet said that the project was a
long-term proposal by the UNESCO's
intersectoral platform for Environment and Development in Coastal
Regions and Small Islands.
He
explained the project's aim which he said was to promote participation
of small islands'civil society on environment-development issues
and making sure that their opinions were included in the 10-year
review of the programme of Action
for Sustainable Development of Small Islands Developing States
adopted in Barbados in 1994.
Both
Dr Cambers and Mr Nureldin made presentations during the ceremony
and participated in an open discussion in which they answered
questions from the participants.
SOURCE:
Seychelles Nation, 21 March 2002
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