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Category Archives: Seychelles

Implementing the debt-for-nature swaps for marine protected areas: case studies from Seychelles and Belize … – Nature.com

Posted: February 29, 2024 at 11:11 pm

As the DFNS is proposed and implemented against the background of debt crisis and environmental challenge, it, in nature, has dual mandates to address financial problems and protect the environment. First and foremost, the DFNS is designed to provide sustainable and continuous financial support for environmental protection, thus causing environmental impacts. Moreover, as an additional measure to alleviate the unsustainable debt of the debtor country, the DFNS are expected to realize debt reduction, which has multiple impacts on the economy. Besides, the implementation of DFNS is based on debt swap agreements among the debtor countries, creditor countries, and NGOs. In this sense, various legal issues surrounding DFNS influence its performance. Accordingly, the overall evaluation of the performance of DFNS for MPAs is carried out from the perspectives of economic, legal, and environmental impacts.

As the last link of the entire DFNS mechanism chain, the establishment of MPAs also determines the performance of DFNS to some extent. Whether the MPAs are well developed to a certain degree can be assessed from data such as how many MPAs have been built and how many square kilometers the current MPAs have increased. According to the GoS, by March 2020, 13 MPAs had been legally designated, totaling more than 410,000 sq. km (SMSP, 2022). The protected areas are split into two zones. High Biodiversity Protection Areas (Zone 1) allow almost no extractive human activities (SMSP, 2022). Zone 1 areas include one of the worlds most ecologically important habitats, the waters around the Aldabra Group (SMSP, 2022). Medium Biodiversity Protection and Sustainable Use Areas (Zone 2) are also designed to conserve natural ecosystems while allowing some economic activities. Thereinto, there are five Zone 1 areas designated as Marine National Parks totaling 203,071 sq. km and eight Zone 1 areas, totaling 238,442 sq. km, two of which are expanded and redesigned (SMSP, 2022). In addition, the DFNS has provided some funds to support the implementation of the marine spatial plan (MSP), which is a comprehensive, public, and participatory process to plan for sustainable development and integrate large-scale marine conservation in the context of a changing climate that is also likely to ensure ecological protection for years to come, including expanding, designing and redesigning the MPAs (SMSP, 2022).

Like the practice in Seychelles, the progress of Belizes new MPA construction plan under the DFNS is open to the public. The MSP of Belize was launched in 2022, which continues to complement the Belize Blue Economy Development Policy and Strategy (2022-2027) and Maritime Economy Plan and advance other MSP approaches currently used in Belize, such as MPAs (GoB, 2022). According to the situation that the GoB initiated the MSP on time, one year after signing the Conservation Funding Agreement, up to 20.53% of the ocean of Belize has already been designated in Biodiversity Protection as promised (House of Representatives and Senate of Belize, 2021).

As a way to fund marine conservation, DFNS need to be localized in debtor countries. The debtor country tends to coordinate the DFNS with its overall environmental protection strategy to realize the conservation objectives. For example, the GoS first had expansion objectives on MPAs, the MSP, etc., and then sought to use the DFNS to obtain financing through debt conversion (GoS, 2015). In the Belize practice in 2021, the government simultaneously considered protected area planning and debt sustainability. Through the combined use of the DFNS and sovereign blue bond/loan, not only can a considerable amount of financing be obtained, but also the overall environmental protection strategy of the country can be effectively implemented.

The way to provide funding for marine conservation through the DFNS has two steps: the first step is for the debtor country to make marine conservation commitments under the DFNS agreement; the second step is to manage the DFNS transactions through trust funds established under the national laws, which generates incomes to invest in marine conservation. The marine conservation commitments made by the debtor countrys government are reflected in the content of the debtor countrys environmental protection strategy.

Specifically, the debtor country has enacted legislation for issues such as DFNS transactions, fund establishment, and conservation commitments and described in detail the implementation measures of the DFNS at the economic, legal, and policy levels. For instance, the Conservation and Climate Adaption Trust of Seychelles Act 2015 (see National Assembly of Seychelles, 2015) provides that the annual budget of the SeyCCAT sets forth the costs of monitoring and evaluating the Seychelles system of protected areas and that the object of the SeyCCAT shall be to administer the assets of the Trust, intended to provide a sustainable flow of fundsto support the long-term management and expansion of the Seychelles system of protected areas and other activitiesthrough consultations with stakeholders. The Blue Bonds Loan Act 2021 (see House of Representatives and Senate of Belize, 2021) stipulates that the Conservation Fund shall be an entity devoted to support conservation activities in Belize focused on marine and marine-related activities and that the obligations of GoB include to use any grant it may receive from the Conservation Fund to supplement funds allocated by Belize in its budget or otherwise for conservation activities and to complete a legally enforceable MSP and designate up to 30% of its Ocean in Biodiversity Protection Zones. These acts legislated the DFNS transactions into the debtor countrys environmental protection strategy, effectively solving the localization of the DFNS to better promote the environmental protection in debtor countries.

Although its implications for addressing the debt crisis vary according to different conditions, the DFNS plays a decisive role in achieving direct debt relief for debtor countries. Moreover, the DFNS does not change the debt sustainability of debtor countries. As for debt relief, the success of the DFNSs debt relief directly depends on the discount rate of its sovereign debt on the secondary market. The theory of realizing debt reduction of the DFNS is based on the comparatively high discount rate of its sovereign debt in the secondary market. The amount of the reduction increases as the discount rate increases; inversely, the amount decreases as the discount rate falls. In practice, Seychelles debt was discounted at 93.5 cents per dollar in 2015, making the reduction small. Belizes debt was discounted at 55 cents per dollar in 2021, and the overall amount is enormous, making the reduction quite large.

In addition, the DFNS may favorably impact the debt sustainability of debtor countries. A debt is sustainable if it satisfies the present value budget constraint without a major correction in the balance of income and expenditure given the costs of financing it faces in the market (IMF, 2002). Seychelless debt sustainability is unchanged following the implementation of DFNS. While the total external debt has decreased, the overall debt amount has not fundamentally decreased due to the need to pay back the promissory note to SeyCCAT in local currency (IMF, 2015). Belizes practice in 2021 is different. The DFNS is considered one of the two key reasons Belize made significant progress towards restoring debt sustainability in 2021, the debt conversion reduced the public debt by 12% of GDP (IMF, 2022). The debt swap also would reduce Belizes debt service payments to a small extent during Fiscal Year 2022-34 (IMF, 2022). However, according to follow-up data, Belizes debt has become sustainable (IMF, 2023). That should be the favorable impact of the DFNS. So, given the practices of Seychelles and Belize, debt sustainability improves when implementing the DFNS, which may be considered a satisfactory debt instrument for changing the countrys debt sustainability.

The debt buyback between debtor countries and creditor countries generally generates income from DFNS. This income is often used for investment in conservation. From the existing practices and rationale of funding MPAs, DFNS can provide a long-term and stable conservation funding source. Often, debtor countries willing to use DFNS need long-term and stable funding for conservation plans because a comparatively low discount rate indicates that a debtor countrys debt repayment ability is not optimistic, reflecting the economy of the debtor country less stable. Generally, a permanent trust fund is built into the DFNS legal structure to manage the funding. And, in the practices of Seychelles and Belize, whether holding long-term promissory notes or regularly acquiring income under the agreement, the period for which the trust fund gets income is very long. That makes the income long-term available. Moreover, the stability of the income from DFNS often relies on trust funds, mainstream currency bonds with stable yields, and local currency payments. Also, the stability of funds of the DFNS in Belize in 2021 is stronger due to political risk insurance and commercial sovereign debt catastrophe insurance for covering the Blue Loan, so repayment expectations are unaffected even though the country is more vulnerable to natural factors like climate change affecting its economic activities.

Reaching a DFNS agreement tends to encounter challenges in both form and substance. Formally, the DFNS agreement must be agreed upon by all creditors and debtor countries through long-term negotiation, which is time-consuming before the final formation of the DFNS agreement. In essence, the DFNS agreement must be conditioned on the terms of a preexisting loan or bond agreement. This process requires a constant balancing of the interests of various stakeholders.

In the practice of Seychelles, the debts available for transformation are debts that have been restructured under the umbrella of the Paris Club in 2009. The debt swap provision (Paris Club, 2015) of the Paris Club has been included in the debt restructuring agreement since 2015, providing an opportunity to sign the DFNS agreement in Seychelles. The Paris Club has six principles to underlie their work, among which the principles of solidarity and consensus make all members need to act as a group in their dealings with a given debtor country. Because all of Seychelles Paris Club creditors agreed with the debt swap provision, which is stated in the previous debt restructuring agreement, the new debt swap agreement to convert some or all of the debts can be made among all or some of Seychelles creditors. It also means that the debt swap transaction can proceed even if only part of the creditor countries agree to implement the DFNS. Moreover, Seychelles DFNS plan took more than five years from the beginning of the negotiation to its completion (Convergence, 2017).

The 2021 Belize practice differs from Seychelles in that the Belize sovereign bond, or Super Bond, is subject to debt conversion because of the CACs in the prior bond. It requires that the implementation of the sovereign debt restructuring program only needs to be approved by a certain majority of creditors to bind all creditors. All debts were finally restructured after more than 85% of the bondholders agreed to execute debt swap agreements (Chamon et al. 2022). In conclusion, for the DFNS agreement to be signed, it must be done to uphold the conditions of the prior agreement, and a successful consensus between the debtor country and the creditors must be established. Moreover, debt conversion negotiations in Belize took longer than those in Seychelles, and there was a pause around late 2020 (TNC, 2022). To conclude, the DFNS deal does have some challenges. But as far as the practices of Seychelles and Belize are concerned, it only needs the ambition of protection actions and the time cost of negotiations.

A binding force is a force that can bind the agreement to be obeyed or carried out. The DFNS agreement is complex, and its nature is different from a general treaty. In traditional international law governed by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), the DFNS agreement is not a treaty because it involves more than just creditor countries or debtor countries. However, the VCLT governs the content between creditor countries and debtor countries. Nevertheless, it does not mean that the DFNS agreement is not legally binding.

By the nature of the DFNS agreement, it can be considered a contractual approach to sovereign debt restructuring, and its legally binding force may show the same relative weakness as its superordinate concept. The reason is that sovereign states are still effectively free to default if they no longer obtain financing from international capital markets. Moreover, the lessons of the sovereign default cases of Argentina and Greece showed that the possibility of sovereign debt default still exists, and debtor countries can even choose to default on their own. It also showed that the agreement with default clauses is not binding enough in essence. But in the end, debtor countries often choose to get back on track, reach debt restructuring agreements with creditors, and repay the debts. That demonstrates that the legally binding force of the sovereign debt restructuring agreement is relatively weak.

The legally binding force of the DFNS agreement is divided into two levels to discuss: the international level and the domestic level. Internationally, as a kind of credit agreement, the DFNS agreement affects the certainty and predictability of the implementation. Such binding force also has implications for the behaviors of debtor countries and creditors. From the civil law perspective, an agreements binding force requires moral restraints or other forces to guarantee. Nevertheless, for agreements made by countries, the situation is slightly different. The fundamental cause is the absence of a supranational organization to guarantee the agreements execution. Nonetheless, debt agreements are often fulfilled in a timely way when the debtor country can fulfill its obligations or when it has the capability to do so, as there would be a significant cost if the debtor country decided to default.

Although the legally binding force is weak, in practice, such weak force has no impact on its practical execution. In fact, according to the long-term observation of international credit, it can be found that debtor countries rarely defaulted on their own initiative, and they often had the willingness to perform when they were able to perform. Similarly, creditors tended not to break their loans and continued to provide loans to debtor countries for a long time. The deeper reason may require other disciplines theories to answer. From the perspective of the International Political Economy, the structural power (see Strange, 1992; Brown, 1999; Roos, 2019) of finance makes it difficult for both parties to cut off debt repayment or loans easily (Strange, 1992). Other critics also used the repeated prisoners dilemma of Game Theory to explore the reasons for the long-term existence of credit, showing that to international lending, where legal enforcement of loan contracts is impossible, so that implicit-contract enforcement becomes essential, and a party who violates an internal implicit contract typically loses the opportunity to cooperate with its current partner; a party who violates an external implicit contract loses the opportunity to cooperate with some or all potential partners as well (Crawford, 1987). In this way, the loss of current and potential cooperation opportunities makes it lose the opportunity to obtain funds again in the international credit market, creating a quasi-binding force. In fact, this seems as concessions offered by countries that lack access to financing. But now, based on environmental goals, implementing DFNS for MPAs may bring a win-win situation for debtor countries and creditors. To a certain degree, the implementation of DFNS in Seychelles and Belize was initiated by their national governments, which shows a positive attitude of debtor countries towards DFNS.

Moreover, default clauses and the waiver of sovereign immunity clause in Belizes Blue Loan Agreement enhance such binding force. In this way, if the GoB defaults, it can be arbitrated in New York, New York, USA, in accordance with the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce entered into force on January 1, 2021. The GoB hereby unconditionally and irrevocably waives and agrees not to assertany such immunity from jurisdiction, from suit or arbitration (House of Representatives & Senate of Belize, 2021).

In addition, at the domestic level, surrounding issues of the DFNS agreement, the laws and regulations of the debtor countries also enhance such binding force of the DFNS agreement. At least, in the debtor country, the act can guarantee the fulfillment of the debtor countrys commitments. Both Seychelles and Belize have enacted acts on the DFNS to ensure that the DFNS mechanism can be effectively implemented, which demonstrates the confidence of the two countries in the execution of the DFNS agreement and their ambition to achieve environmental protection goals.

There are many potential barriers to implementing the DFNS agreement because the DFNS agreement has the connotation of imposing responsibilities on other parties. Although the parties of the agreement do not include domestic residents, marine conservation commitments and changes in the countrys external debt are likely to affect domestic residents. Moreover, the rationale basis of the agreement itself may be based on subsidy or aid. Given this, it appears that the DFNS agreement has three problems, including the lack of transparency in the pre-signing consultation procedure, the absence of explicit prior consent from the residents whom the protected areas would impact, and the conformity of the DFNS to the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP).

The first barrier is mainly reflected in the lack of transparency in the negotiations between the debtor and creditor countries. The public is unable to grasp what has been accomplished in these deals and how much money firms are receiving due to this lack of transparency. Some argued it is against the Voluntary Guidelines for Debt Transparency agreed by the Institute for International Finance (IIF) and the OECDs Debt Transparency Initiative (CADTM, 2022). However, this phenomenon was greatly improved in Belizes practice in 2021 because the GoB made all DFNS agreements open to the public in the form of legislation. In this way, although the negotiation stage is not transparent enough, at least the people can know what effect the DFNS transaction can produce.

The second one primarily has a possible negative effect on those whose primary means of life are related to the environment, such as local fishermen. Some critics are concerned that the DFNS may affect the residents and thus believe that the prior consent of the affected residents should be obtained before signing such a debt swap agreement (CADTM, 2022). The reason for thinking this way may be that an agreement that imposes obligations on a third party requires the third partys consent. However, the international agreement signed by states may be another logic; even if it is based on the doctrine of privity of contract, the agreement is established and takes effect. Although the debtor countries commitments were stated in the DFNS agreement, the establishment of MPAs that the debtor country promised to complete is its internal affairs. According to the doctrine of privity of contract, inter-state agreements can be established and take effect without the prior and informed consent of the affected residents. Suppose the government of the debtor country has caused a loss of rights and interests to the residents that may be affected during administration. In that case, the compensation should be made in accordance with its domestic laws.

The last one is about the relationship between the PPP and the DFNS. The establishment of DFNS is based on certain legal and economic relationships. The relationship between its financial support for environmental protection in debtor countries and the connotation of the PPP can lead to the DFNS lack of legally binding force. The reason is that the DFNS is a counterexample of the PPP. Some concluded that DFNS made creditors relieve the debt in exchange for the debtor country agreeing not to engage in environmentally destructive practices (Knicley, 2012). The DFNS is, in fact, a kind of subsidy or international aid for developing countries, thus making creditor countries not responsible for relieving the debt. That also shows, in fact, that the creditors are in the dominant position in the DFNS negotiations.

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Seychelles introduces world of immersive experiences offering profound insight into local culture – Travel Trade Jouurnal

Posted: at 11:11 pm

In the wake of the past year, pivotal lessons have surfaced, underscoring the crucial role of stakeholder collaboration, adaptability to shifting travel trends, and in-depth market research in understanding evolving tourist preferences. Bernadette Willemin, Director General, Destination Marketing, Tourism Seychelles, affirms that these insights are the bedrock for refining strategies in 2024 and shaping more precise and tailored marketing campaigns.

Prashant Nayak

Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands located in the Indian Ocean, relies on tourism, drawing visitors with pristine beaches, coral reefs, and upscale resorts. Tourism Seychelles globally markets the destination, engaging in strategic planning and campaigns to position Seychelles as a competitive and attractive destination in the global tourism market.

The primary goals and objectives of Tourism Seychelles for 2024 encompass pivotal initiatives aimed at fortifying and diversifying the tourism sector in Seychelles. At present, the European market stands as their primary source, contributing 72 per cent to their overall arrival figures. Recognising the significance of market diversification, their focused ambition is to enhance their global market share, and this entails expanding their reach beyond Europe and cultivating new source markets to attract tourists and visitors from diverse regions across the world.

Our strategy involves an intensified focus on strategic markets, such as India and China, while not neglecting our Middle Eastern markets, the American market, to augment our tourist influx. We are also making a concerted effort to enhance connectivity to facilitate easier access for tourists from these burgeoning markets to and within the Seychelles islands. Furthermore, as a small nation reliant on tourism, we continue to push the incorporation of sustainability and resilience into our tourist economy, emphasising responsible practices to safeguard our pristine natural resources and cultural heritage, says Bernadette.

Tourism Seychelles continues to work on solving any logistical hurdles in connecting to new and existing markets, as well as adapting to varied cultural preferences and travel patterns. Bernadette notes that the organisation has been in discussions with international partners to improve aviation connections, including strategic alliances with airlines. Thorough market studies are underway for a better understanding of the preferences and behavioural patterns of tourists from emerging markets, allowing them to tailor their offerings to suit their needs and highlight the elements of the islands that appeal to the travellers.

While Seychelles is situated among other Indian Ocean Island states that attract a similar tourist demographic, it stands out as a unique gem. Bernadette enthusiastically emphasises, As a tropical vacation destination, our unique qualities distinguish us from the competition. Beyond our incredible biodiversity, pristine natural beauty, and vibrant heritage, Seychelles offers guests the ideal island-hopping experience. Unlike other island nations that limit tourists to one island, we open the door to a world of immersive experiences, offering profound insights into local culture and traditions.

Bernadette observes a clear trend emerging among travellers as they prioritise what is truly important to them while making travel plans. In 2024, the emphasis will shift towards deeper encounters that leave a profound mark long after their visit. This paradigm shift indicates a desire for meaningful and rewarding experiences that go beyond the surface level of tourism. Recognising travellers growing eco-consciousness, we realise the necessity of providing greener options, not only for transportation but also for the sites they choose to visit. In light of this increasing trend, we are committed to positioning ourselves as a sustainable destination. By aligning with these ideals, we want to appeal to the expanding community of ecologically concerned visitors looking for locations that share their dedication to responsible travel practices, explains Bernadette.

She further adds, We will continue to promote our location as an excellent choice for private group travel, wellness, and culinary experiences. By emphasising these aspects, we want to attract people seeking personalised and intimate travel experiences, whether through private group getaways, health retreats, or culinary explorations.

Tourism Seychelles forthcoming marketing campaigns for 2024 will spotlight the destinations unique natural allure, cultural richness, and unwavering dedication to sustainable tourism. With targeted digital marketing initiatives tailored to specific demographics in India, they aim to showcase the distinct offerings of the island paradise to Indian travellers, appealing to their sense of adventure, desire for wellness, and taste for good food. They also plan to invest more efforts in fostering trade relations in the country since India has a lot of untapped potential to become an important source market for the Seychelles Islands.

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Appointment of the new Commissioner General of the Seychelles Revenue Commission – Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

Posted: at 11:11 pm

The Office of the President has today announced the appointment of Mrs Varsha Singh,as the new Commissioner General of the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC).

Mrs Singh, a South African national, has over 28 years experience in tax, customs, transfer pricing, trade facilitation international relations, and building organisational excellence and driving sustainable development.

She holds a Master of International Customs Law and Administration from the University of Canberra, Australia, as well as a Master in Business Administration from the Management School of Southern Africa, South Africa.

Mrs Singh has occupied several strategic management positions in the South African Revenue Service (SARS), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), being instrumental in the establishment of the Forum.

Mrs Varsha Singhs appointment as the new Commissioner General of SRC will take effect from 1st April, 2024.

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Appointment of the new Commissioner General of the Seychelles Revenue Commission - Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles

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Air Seychelles cancels direct flights to Tel Aviv as of October 13 … – Seychelles News Agency

Posted: October 13, 2023 at 11:36 pm

Air Seychelles operated four flights this week in order to return Israelis from their holiday in Seychelles. (Air Seychelles)

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Due to the current war situation in Israel, Air Seychelleswill cancel its direct flights between Mahe and Tel Aviv from October 13 until the end of October, the airline said on Thursday.

Air Seychelles operated four flights this week in order to return Israelis from their holiday in Seychelles.

"The safety of our passengers and creware always our number one priority and a schedule adjustment was done, and risk mitigation plans put in action in order to operate these flights. We will continue to monitor the situation and hope to resume our twice weekly commercial operations when possible,"said the airline.

The Israel-Palestine conflict escalated after gunmen from the Palestinian group Hamas rampaged through Israeli towns and a music festival on Saturday, killing at least 250 Israelis.

Israel retaliated on Tuesday with air strikes on Gaza and a state of war was declared.

According to the United Nations, Israel ordered a direct evacuation on Friday of northern Gaza, home to 1.1 million people within 24 hours.

Seychelles has condemnedall indiscriminate attacks on civilians in both Israel and Palestine.

"Seychelles calls for the belligerents to put an end to military hostilities and return immediately, without pre-conditions, to the negotiating table, under the auspices of the United Nations, to find a lasting and comprehensive peace settlement guaranteeing the rights and security of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples based on the two-state solution," the Foreign Affairs Department said on Tuesday.

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Condor Airlines Becomes Latest Airline To Resume Flights To … – Simple Flying

Posted: at 11:36 pm

Summary

Despite being one of the smallest African countries, Seychelles is becoming more widely accessible to travelers from other parts of the world, particularly from Europe. Condor Airlines has become the latest carrier to resume seasonal non-stop flight services from Frankfurt in recent weeks. With the reinstated connections, Seychelles expects many visitors in the fourth quarter.

Although Condor Airlines has been operating flights to Seychelles since 1991, it's primarily been a seasonal route for the airline's winter schedule. Since suspending operations this April in preparation for the summer schedule, this winter's return to Seychelles will see some pleasant changes for the airline and the African country.

Late last month, the German leisure carrier reinstated seasonal flight services to Seychelles as anticipated, except the return of this connection was actually a month ahead of the route's standard winter schedule. The airline also deployed a much bigger aircraft, with its Airbus A330neo already carrying over 300 passengers for the first flight out on September 30th.

Operating one flight per week every Friday, Condor Airlines flight DE 2302 will depart from Frankfurt Airport at approximately 17:45 and is expected to arrive at Victoria Seychelles International Airport at around 05:45 the following day. On Saturdays, flight DE 2303 leaves Seychelles at around 23:30 before returning to Frankfurt at 07:45 the next day. This winter schedule is expected to continue until March next year. From mid-November till March, an additional weekly flight will be added.

You can find flights from Frankfurt to Seychelles here.

With the return of Condor Airlines, Seychelles is expecting more German visitors this year, adding to the 20,000 plus who have visited since 2010. The airline seconds this expectation, highlighting that the average load factor has increased from 63% in 2021 to approximately 78% last year. This year, it has grown to an incredible 97%.

The return of non-stop connections between Frankfurt and Seychelles was followed very closely by the equally welcoming return of Edelweiss Airlines to the African country. Similar to Condor Airlines' frequency, the Swiss leisure carrier will connect Zurich with Seychelles with one flight service per week using its Airbus A340-300 fleet.

Find flights from Zurich to Seychelles here.

Towards this month's end, more international carriers will join the bandwagon. Turkish Airlines will link Istanbul with Seychelles with three weekly flights, while Ethiopian Airlines will increase frequencies to Seychelles from the current daily flight services to double daily flights from Addis Ababa. To keep Russia one of the top three Eastern European markets on Seychelles' arrival list - behind Germany and France - Aeroflot will upgrade connections from Moscow with three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

But even with all these airlines' efforts, Emirates will eventually continue outranking them all and remain as the leading carrier for passengers to Seychelles by maintaining seven weekly flights. By this month, the Gulf carrier will resume double daily flights to ensure Seychelles is significantly well-connected to the world. Celebrating these enhanced connections was Bernadette Willemin, the Director General for Destination Marketing at Tourism Seychelles, as she highlighted:

"The Seychelles Islands have always been known for its unparalleled natural beauty and vibrant culture and with these new connections, we eagerly anticipate welcoming travelers from across the globe to experience our unique paradise.

Besides these airlines, Seychelles is also served by others such as Air Seychelles, Qatar Airways, Air Austral, Kenya Airways, and Etihad Airways - albeit the list will likely grow in the coming years. With the new and improved flight connections that further make it a promising holiday destination, Seychelles is confident in expecting ramped-up tourist arrivals for the final quarter of this year.

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Seychelles Opposition Leader Patrick Herminie Arrested for … – Bitter Winter

Posted: at 11:36 pm

by Massimo Introvigne

The main leader of the opposition in the Seychelles and former speaker of the National Assembly, medical doctor Patrick Herminie, is the victim of a witch hunt. Not in a metaphorical sense. He was arrested and charged on October 2 for what under Seychelles law is the crime of being in possession of anything intended to be used for the purpose of witchcraft, conspiracy to exercise witchcraft, counseling and procuring another person in exercising witchcraft and soliciting any person to advise on any matter for any purpose whatsoever by witchcraft.

The story started with two corpses dug up in a cemetery, in what authorities suspected was a ritual of witchcraft, although Herminie was not accused of being involved in the incident, and with the arrest on September 21 at Seychelles National Airport of a Tanzanian citizen. He was trying to enter the country with what the police described as black wooden artifacts, stones, small bottles of brownish liquid, an assortment of powders, and a number of documents with strange language and symbols that may be described as demonic and satanic. Five Seychellois were arrested as accomplices of the Tanzanian. The police claims that one of them mentioned Herminie in a WhatsApp conversation in a way raising the suspicion that the politician was also involved in witchcraft and satanism.

Herminie and the other Seychellois defendants were released on bail on October 2, waiting for a next trial hearing on November 3, while the Tanzanian remains in jail.

Advocacy for Alleged Witches, an international organization that campaigns for the elimination of anti-witchcraft statutes in Africa and other countries, protested the arrest. Its director Leo Igwe stated that, Advocacy for Alleged Witches is asking the government of Seychelles to drop these charges because they are absurd and constitute a show of shame and embarrassment. The prosecution of Herminie and other co-accused is witch hunting in both literal and political sense.And witch hunting should have no place in 21st century politics in Seychelles. Otherwise, how does the government define witchcraft or witchcraft items?How does the government distinguish witchcraft items, whatever that means, from traditional religious objects? How did the prosecutors know that the said items were intended for use in witchcraft? Are stones, black wooden artifacts , and small bottles of brownish liquid witchcraft materials?I mean how will state prosecutors establish that some symbols are demonic and satanic? At a time of growing cases of witch persecution in many parts of Africa, the government of Seychelles should discontinue this unfortunate and unwarranted instance of witch hunting.

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Seychelles’ 5 Leaders of the Opposition in the Third Republic – Seychelles News Agency

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(Seychelles News Agency) - On June 18in 1993, the Third Republic of Seychelles was born and a multi-party politics was introduced following 16 years of one-party rule.

This brought about a new governance structure under the new Constitution, and a governance structure adhering to the principles of the Separation of Powers.

Under the new Constitution, Cabinet Ministers could not be Members of the National Assembly and vice-versa.

On July 30, 2023, the Seychelles' National Assembly celebrated its 30thanniversary.

SNA brings you the Leaders ofthe Opposition who have served in this era.

James Mancham-1st Assembly

The late former President of Seychelles (1976 to 1977) became the first Leader of the Opposition on July 30, 1993, for the Assembly's first sitting by a proclamation gazetted by the then President France Albert Rene, representing the Seychelles People's Progressive Front Party (SPPF).

Mancham remained in the post until parliament was dissolved in February 1998 by President Rene for fresh elections in March of the same year.

Wavel Ramkalawan - 2nd,3rd, 4thAssembly

Ramkalawan, who is the current President of Seychelles since Ocotboer 2020, became the Leader of the Opposition for the first time after the 1998 parliamentary elections held on March 21to 25.

The National Assembly was after these elections made up of 34 members, one more than the last session.

The Seychelles Peoples Progressive Front (SPPF)won over 50 percent in all districts but lost to Ramkalawan in the central district of St Louis.

After the 2002 National Assembly elections which was sworn in on December 17, Ramkalawan remained as the Leader of the Opposition

His party - the Seychelles National Party won 40 percent of the total votes and in had 11 members in the National Assembly.

After the elections in 2007, the SNP got 43.8percent ofthe total votes thus earning 11 seats in the Assembly of which 4 were proportionately elected.

Ramkalawan remained as the Leader of the Opposition until 2011 when the SNP boycotted the parliamentary elections of that year.

David Pierre - 5thAssembly

In the 2011 elections, only the SPPF and the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) contested the election and Pierre was able to poll in 3,828 votes which added up to 10.89 percent of the 35,145 valid votes cast.

Though PDM contested in the elections, it did not win any seat as according to the Electoral Commission it had won only about 7 percent of the total votes cast. The leader of PDM did not agree with the decision taken and decided to bring this case before the Constitutional Court.

PDM won its appeal for the allocation of a proportionately elected seat in the National Assembly and Pierre nominated and voted himself Leader of the Opposition until he resigned on May 15 in 2016.

Francesca Monnaie - 5thAssembly

After Pierre submitted his resignation, Monnaie was sworn in as the Leader of the Opposition on May 16. She was formerly the Popular Democratic Movement's secretary general.

Wavel Ramkalawan - 6thAssembly

In the parliamentary elections of September 2016, the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) opposition coalition party, which included the SNP, for the first time in parliament history, won more seats than the government.

LDS occupied 15 seats while the United Seychelles party had 10.

Ramkalawan was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition until the general elections of October 2020 in which he was elected President.

Sebastien Pillay-7thAssembly

After the October 2020 general elections, United Seychelles became the opposition party in the National Assembly after winning only 6 out of 20 constituencies.

Pillay was elected as the Leader of the Opposition of the 7thAssembly on October 28.

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Seychelles' 5 Leaders of the Opposition in the Third Republic - Seychelles News Agency

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5 customs administrations from Indian Ocean agree to create … – Seychelles News Agency

Posted: at 11:36 pm

The meeting aimed at establishing various aspects of the committee including its purposes, functions and objectives, and with the creation of its secretariat. (Seychelles News Agency)

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(Seychelles News Agency) - Five customs administrations from the Indian Ocean region met in Seychelles on Friday to discuss the proposal of setting up of a regional committee and agreed upon the principle.

The meeting was the first one held for the proposed Indian Ocean Islands Customs Committee with representatives from Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles.

Held at the Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa, the meeting aimed at establishing various aspects of the committee including its purposes, functions and objectives, and with the creation of its secretariat.

In his opening address, the acting commissioner of the Seychelles Revenue Commission (SRC), Fred Morel, said the creation of the committee was proposed in November 2022. This was through an international cooperation meeting in which a letter of intent was signed and the idea for a Customs Committee was proposed.

In June 2023, at the last Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) meeting, the Council of Ministers approved the implementation of the Customs Committee and mandated the IOC's Secretariat to give its support.

The heads of all the five Customs Administrations of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles agreed to the creation of the committee.

"The idea of having such a committee in place is a positive one which will bring with it a wealth of opportunities and benefits in terms of the establishment of a platform to facilitate the exchange of ideas," said Morel.

He said that "through capacity building and technical assistance, we will be able to support each other to develop the competencies of our officers to improve trade facilitation and to intensify our fight against drug trafficking and other illicit activities posing a threat to our society."

The main purposes of the committee are to facilitate the implementation of projects of common interest and encourage the coordination of customs good practices to ensure security and facilitate trade. It will also intensify technical cooperation to pool together resources to address the Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TACB) needs within the region.

The commissioner of Customs in Seychelles, Paul Barrack, said that this committee will also allow customs officers to get training and courses in countries that have the necessary expertise. Additionally, each country will share experiences in areas where they have advanced knowledge and capacity.

The committee's creation is supported by the IOC as a regional approach is being encouraged to better develop areas such the economy, Blue Economy and maritime security.

"We want to try and encourage more exchanges within the region, where such a partnership will help in many areas, as we do not want to see one country develop, while others are left behind," added the international cooperation manager of the regional directorate of Reunion, Thierry Sourama.

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Ocean Science as a Pillar of Sustainable Ocean Management: – IOC-UNESCO

Posted: at 11:36 pm

Climate action, the sustainable use and management of biodiversity, food security, coastal resilience, access to renewable energy, and human health are all dependent on humanitys capacity to sustainably manage the ocean. Sustainable ocean management is integrally linked to the development of a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, which is an aspiration and indeed a necessity for a growing number of Member States, including many Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Via its diverse portfolio of programmes and initiatives, UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission is uniquely placed within the UN system to catalyse and support action across all elements of the ocean science value chain that are needed to support sustainable ocean management. The core programmatic work of IOC/UNESCO is strongly complemented by its role as the coordinator of theUN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a UN-wide initiative that commenced in 2021 and that provides a global framework to create the conditions for sustainable ocean management.

The high-level side event entitled Ocean Science as a Pillar of Sustainable Ocean Management is co-hosted by IOC/UNESCO with France in its role as co-host of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. It has the primary objective of highlighting the fundamental importance of sustainable ocean management to meet global, regional and national policy goals for climate, biodiversity, sustainable ocean economies, and coastal resilience, amongst others. In doing this it would provide opportunities to:

The programme of the side-event is as follows:

13.30 13.35 Welcome and Outline of Event, Ms Genie Godula, Moderator

13.35 13.42 Opening Remarks, Mme Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

13.42 13.50 Keynote Address, HE Wavel Ramkalawan (TBC), President of the Republic of Seychelles

13.50 14.35 Moderated Panel Discussion: Accelerating the ocean climate economy nexus through evidence based sustainable ocean management, Q&A with audience

Speakers:

HE Abraao Vicente, Minister of the Sea, Cabo Verde (TBC)

HE Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia

Mr Henrik Harboe, Special Envoy (Ocean) and Sherpa for the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, Norway

MsRena Lee, Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, President of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)

14.35 14.38 Synthesis & Way Forward

Dr Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO

14.38 14.45 Closing

HE Herv Berville, Secrtaire d'tat auprs de la Premire ministre, charg de la Mer, France

HE Franz Tattenbach, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica

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Supreme Court ruling tells LGBTQ people in Mauritius that their … – OHCHR

Posted: at 11:36 pm

GENEVA (13 October 2023) Mauritius Supreme Court decision to decriminalise same-sex relations amongst consenting adults is a crucial step forward for equality, a UN human rights expert said today.

"I am profoundly encouraged by the Supreme Courts findings, which evoke the principle of equality and the imperative of respecting all the elements that create a persons identity and their experience," said the UN independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz.

I also note that the judgment has explicitly recognised that the legislation criminalising homosexuality was never an expression of indigenous Mauritian values, but an imposition of the British colonial project, Madrigal-Borloz said.

The Supreme Court determination concluded a court case challenging the constitutionality of parts of the Mauritius Criminal Code which criminalised same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults and carried a sentence of five years imprisonment.

"This ruling tells gay, lesbian and bisexual, trans and other gender-diverse people living in Mauritius that they are in a country in which their dignity is valued and protected under the rule of law," the expert said. Criminalising homosexuality and other forms of sexual and gender diversity is at the origin of much violence, discrimination and social exclusion. It also violates international human rights law," he said.

The expert said that during a recent visit to Mauritius, he had witnessed efforts by Mauritian LGBT organisation Arc-en-Ciel Collective and other human rights defenders to promote and protect the equality and inclusion of gay, lesbian, trans, and bisexual people. Madrigal-Borloz congratulated the plaintiffs in the case for their determination to bring about effective change.

Rulings like this make it clear why civil society spaces must be nurtured. The work of human rights defenders is the fuel for change toward full respect for diversity and equality in all societies, the expert said.

He also noted that that legal provisions banning homosexuality are often remnants of colonial laws.

"Countries around the world that still criminalise homosexuality and other forms of sexual orientation and gender identity must, without exception, take note of this recent advance in Mauritius, Madrigal-Borloz said.

On the African continent, Mauritius joins Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa in definitely dismantling this colonial and odious form of discrimination, the expert said.

All countries in which homosexuality or any other form of gender diversity remain criminalised must examine their legal frameworks to become fully compliant with international human rights law," he said.

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