75th year of United Nations |05 November 2020
Alexander Mancham (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
UN to have a liaison office in Seychelles
As of this month, the United Nations will have a liaison office in Seychelles.
This was announced by Alexander Mancham, the United Nations coordination officer for Seychelles, at a symposium organised jointly by the United Nations and the James R. Mancham Peace and Diplomacy Research Institute at UniSey to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations.
During the symposium, held under the theme ‘Shaping our future together’, the attendees were able to view a pre-recorded video message sent by Christine Umutoni, the UN resident coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles in which she congratulated Seychelles for the peaceful elections.
“The UN was established to promote peace and prosperity and it is a moment to check and see where we are and accelerate if we have to. As we know it is 10 years to 2030, it is a moment to accelerate actions. The UN’s 75th anniversary is a time for us to remind ourselves of our responsibility as humanity.”
Ms Umutoni also noted that the UN-Seychelles partnership has grown from strength to strength. “It is demonstrated by the partnership that we just signed in 2019 that will go 2023. I will like to note that quite a number of UN agencies are supporting the country and some of them also have a presence in Seychelles.”
She also congratulated Seychelles for containing Covid-19 and she also noted that Seychelles is on track with its sustainable development goals.
Speaking about the UN’s anniversary, Mr Mancham said: “It is a historic moment and it is also an opportunity to come together collectively and find ways together to address the challenges that we are currently facing today and the challenges that we will be facing in the future. As of this month, we will have a permanent UN office in the Seychelles. We are looking at ways to synergize and collaborate with various UN agencies to meet the challenges mainly with the global uncertainty which obviously has affected Seychelles,” noted Mr Mancham.
How has Seychelles been doing within the UN? Mr Mancham noted that “Seychelles has been doing very well on different UN indicators; in terms of the UN sustainable goals, the agenda 2030 but there are challenges ahead! It is important for the youth of today to realise how they can contribute while addressing the issues.”
Angelique Pouponneau, chief executive of SeyCCat, made a presentation on ‘75 years of the UN – Is it working for youth? Is it working for the survival of the planet?’
Ombudsman Nichole Tirant-Gherardi also addressed the guests followed by a presentation from the founder and country representative of UN Youth Seychelles Annarose Clarisse on ‘I Act we impact’.
Vicky Michel from the Seychelles National Commission for Unesco made a presentation on the Unesco action in Seychelles.
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About the UN
The United Nations is an international organisation founded in 1945. It is currently made up of 193 member States. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter.
Each of the 193 member States of the United Nations is a member of the General Assembly. States are admitted to membership in the UN by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
Main Organs
The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.
Leadership
The secretary-general of the United Nations is a symbol of the organisation's ideals and a spokesman for the interests of the world's peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable. The current secretary-general of the UN, and the ninth occupant of the post, is António Guterres of Portugal, who took office on January 1, 2017. The UN Charter describes the secretary-general as “chief administrative officer” of the organisation.
Secretariat
The secretariat, one of the main organs of the UN, is organised along departmental lines, with each department or office having a distinct area of action and responsibility. Offices and departments coordinate with each other to ensure cohesion as they carry out the day to day work of the organisation in offices and duty stations around the world. At the head of the United Nations’ secretariat is the secretary-general.
Funds, programmes, specialised agencies and others
The UN system, also known unofficially as the 'UN family', is made up of the UN itself and many programmes, funds, and specialised agencies, all with their own leadership and budget. The programmes and funds are financed through voluntary rather than assessed contributions. The specialised agencies are independent international organisations funded by both voluntary and assessed contributions.
What the UN does
1) Maintain international peace and security
2) Protect human rights
3) Deliver humanitarian aid
4) Promote sustainable development
5) Uphold international law
Vidya Gappy
