Small island states look to Commonwealth for support |29 September 2010

He was taking part in the Commonwealth foreign ministers’ meeting held on Monday in New York in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Commonwealth confirmed at the meeting that it will put at the disposal of small island states a dedicated office in Geneva to help them engage with the multilateral trading system.

“As Seychelles is engaged in the accession process for World Trade Organisation membership, this office in Geneva will be a fantastic opportunity for us to strengthen our ability to negotiate effectively,” said Mr Adam.
“We warmly welcome this initiative and congratulate the Commonwealth on continuing to provide appropriate support to smaller member countries.”

The possibility of Seychelles benefiting from the small states office was first raised by Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma during his visit here in June this year.

Mr Adam also welcomed the efforts of the Commonwealth to organise a special meeting on access to climate change adaptation funds in view of concerns that “fast start” financing is not readily accessible to middle-income Small Island Developing States.