UN, Seychelles eye impactful collaborations |02 February 2023

A souvenir photograph of Ms Singh and Minister Zialor with their respective delegations

The newly appointed United Nations (UN) resident coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles,  Lisa Singh, on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Youth, Sports and Family, Marie-Celine Zialor, at Family House, Bel Eau.

Minister Zialor commended Ms Singh on her appointment and called for a continued working relationship between the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family and the UN family, recounting the collaboration between her and Ms Singh’s predecessor.

With regard to discussions initiated with an orientation of the ministerial portfolio, Minister Zialor proposed for more impactful collaborations in the areas of youth, sports and family and that such collaborations should be mutually beneficial for the UN family and Seychelles.

“I am passionate about professional and personal development and I believe through capacity building we can achieve a better quality of life – the UN and its partners have the expertise that they can share with us,” Minister Zialor said.

She added that on the other hand, Seychelles has the resources to assist the UN family in

the forms of 390,000 km² unchartered ocean. Our young people are keen to learn and we are fortunate to be living in one of the most paradisiac countries in the African region which makes hosting workshops on difficult matters pleasant for guests.

Ms Singh welcomed the proposals and concluded the meeting with a mutual agreement to keep an open dialogue and build on this relationship.

She expressed that her objective is to see changes following her five-year tenure.

Also present at the meeting were the UN development coordination officer, Fabiani Appavou; coordination officer for UN resident coordinator’s office in Seychelles, Alexander Mancham; executive director in the minister's secretariat, Sharon Thelemaque-Ernesta; desk officer for UN resident coordinator in the Foreign Affairs department, Debra Freminot; and the third secretary in the Multilateral Affairs division Rennie Mondon.

The office of the UN resident coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles fulfills the following five functions in support of the responsibilities of the resident coordinator and the UNCT:

• Strategic planning
• Multisector analysis and advising on sustainable development
• Promotion of partnerships and development finance
• Data and results management and reporting
• Communications and advocacy

Contributed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family