Evaluators tasked by the COI meet with Speaker Mancienne |05 August 2025
A souvenir photograph
Evaluators tasked by the COI meet with Speaker Mancienne
The National Assembly welcomed project evaluators contracted by La Commission de l'Océan Indien (COI), Stéphanie Vergnault and Axelle Riff, for a meeting to discuss the status of the ‘Projet Gouvernance, Paix et Stabilité’ (GPS).
The meeting was held on July 31, 2025 with the Speaker of the National Assembly and President of the Association des Parlements des États membres de la COI (AP-COI), Hon. Roger Mancienne, the executive committee member of AP-COI Hon. Philip Monthy, and the deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Alexandria Faure.
The GPS Project seeks to promote good governance, peace, and stability within the Indian Ocean region, specifically among the COI member states. It also addresses regional needs in crisis prevention and the strengthening of institutional cooperation.
Speaker Mancienne opened the meeting by emphasising the importance and value of the GPS Project, outlining several key initiatives undertaken under the programme.
Notably, the Hon. Speaker highlighted Seychelles’ leading role in the establishment of the Parlement régional des jeunes de l’Indianocéanie (PRJIO), which was launched in April 2025 with its inaugural Sitting hosted within the Chamber of the National Assembly.
He also expressed the unique contribution of the GPS Project and AP-COI to Seychelles, particularly in promoting the use of the French language.
It was noted that while Seychelles is predominantly a trilingual nation, formal communications are often conducted in English, and this initiative supports linguistic engagement in French especially among young people.
Hon. Monthy also shared his insights, reaffirming the active involvement of both himself, other members and the deputy Clerk in the GPS Project.
In response to a question from Ms Vergnault, he discussed the growing engagement of youth in parliament and how the project continues to encourage such participation in political processes and civic education.
Ms Faure echoed these sentiments, highlighting the GPS Project as an effective platform for inter-parliamentary exchange and cooperation.
She noted several instances of collaboration among member parliaments, such as how the National Assembly of Seychelles hosted a benchmarking meeting with representatives of the National Assembly of Mauritius to explore the use of Mauritian Creole in parliamentary proceedings.
She remarked that the initiative has helped strengthen ties among fellow AP-COI member legislatures and its parliamentary administrations.
The fruitful meeting also touched on upcoming priorities and some of the challenges that may impact the National Assembly’s continued participation in the GPS Project.
Text & photos: Contributed