IPU president Gabrielle Cuevas calls on President Danny Faure |22 January 2020

President Faure welcomes Mrs Barron to State House (Photo: Jude Morel)

Strong communication between executive and legislative, an exemplary model for the world

Inter-Parliamentary Union president Gabriella Cuevas Barron has said that the strong communication between the executive and the legislative in Seychelles is an exemplary model which other countries could follow.

Mrs Barron made this statement following a courtesy call on President Danny Faure at State House yesterday morning. She is in the country on a working visit to help strengthen the capacity building of the National Assembly in terms of stronger democracy, fundamentally important for democratic countries.

Mrs Barron discussed with President Faure the issue of strengthening of capacity building of the National Assembly and its continued working relationship with Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). They also discussed climate change issues in relation to a motion put forward by the Seychelles parliamentary delegation, led by Speaker Nicholas Prea, during the 141st Assembly of the IPU which took place in Belgrade, Serbia, from October 13-17, 2019, in raising the awareness and putting proposals in terms of the need to stop climate change.

She further said that they also discussed cultural exchange and tourism promotion among other issues.

“We can help in terms of encouraging youths to participate, women to be more active in politics and to have better skills and tools for the National Assembly secretariat among a lot of other things that we can do. But we need to work closer with Seychelles,” she said.

“The important part here is that I am very happy to see that there is a very strong communication between the National Assembly and the government. That is something we don’t see every day. When you have this dialogue between the legislative and the executive, you can make this work in a better way. So that is something that I really applaud here in the Seychelles and I believe this should be also a message from Seychelles to the planet that we need more dialogue, we need better politics,” she added, noting that it forms part of the spirit of IPU to work with all the different branches of the state to have stronger democracies and to give resources to the people it represents.

Following her visit to President Faure, Mrs Barron also paid a courtesy call on Vice-President Vincent Meriton.

She was accompanied to State House by Speaker Prea, Honourable Waven William, Honourable Jany De Letourdie and other members of the assembly secretariat.

Also present was the principal secretary for foreign affairs, Dr Marina Confait.

Speaker Prea, who acknowledged the benefits gained by the National Assembly from IPU, especially through exposure to the other 178 parliaments, said that he looks forward that the grouped small island developing states (Sids), initiated by Seychelles following bilateral meetings, be formally accepted as a geopolitical group in IPU. He said that it will allow the Sids to speak as one voice due to their common similarities.

The IPU is a global inter-parliamentary institution established in 1889 as the first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations. It has 179 member states and Seychelles joined the organisation in 2010. IPU has permanent observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.

Mrs Barron is the first IPU president to visit Seychelles. She leaves the country today for a working visit in Uganda.