Vice President Sebastien Pillay Strengthens Seychelles–United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Partnership During Courtesy Call
The Vice President, Mr. Sebastien Pillay, welcomed Ms. Alka Bhatia, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative for Mauritius and Seychelles, during a courtesy call at State House on Friday.
Providing an opportunity to review the longstanding and productive partnership between the government of Seychelles and UNDP, the meeting’s discussions focused on capacity building, the strengthening of institutional governance, climate resilience, and socio-economic initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of the Seychellois people.
The Vice President highlighted the strong alignment between the Government’s development agenda and UNDP’s priorities, noting Seychelles’ emphasis on people-centred development, poverty alleviation, and sustained investment in key sectors such as health, education, housing, and infrastructure.
He underscored the importance of further strengthening cooperation as Seychelles transitions to high-income status with new development challenges and increasingly relies on bilateral and strategic partnerships to consolidate development gains.
The Vice President, who also holds responsibility for Information, emphasised the need to accelerate service delivery through the digitisation of information. He highlighted ongoing efforts to modernise the digital sector, reduce administrative burdens, and improve public access to information through the revamping of existing electronic structures. In this context, he specifically mentioned the Seychelles Registrar and the National Bureau of Statistics as key institutions for incorporating digitalisation.
Ms. Bhatia welcomed the priorities outlined and reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting Seychelles through its global expertise. She emphasised the importance of inclusive digital public infrastructure, data-driven policymaking, and informed decision-making as essential tools for strengthening governance and accelerating service delivery.
She further outlined UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029, which focuses on advancing human development while protecting the planet through four strategic objectives: prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience, and a healthy planet, supported by accelerators including digital and AI transformation, gender equality, and sustainable finance.
Climate change, innovative financing, and access to affordable technology were highlighted as key areas for continued collaboration.
Ms. Bhatia praised the country’s leadership in environmental conservation while underscoring the need for a whole-of-society approach to building a smarter, greener, and more inclusive Seychelles.
Other discussions touched on ongoing and completed collaborative initiatives, including projects related to early warning systems, data and information management, community outreach, and value chain development in the honey and cinnamon sectors, aimed at boosting economic empowerment and export readiness. Reference was also made to the successful implementation of the “Tax Inspectors Without Borders for Criminal Investigation” programme, which strengthened tax audit capacity and domestic resource mobilisation.
As part of her visit, Ms. Bhatia officially presented her credentials on Thursday to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Barry Faure, as the accredited UNDP Resident Representative for Mauritius and Seychelles.
The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the strong partnership between Seychelles and UNDP, founded on shared values and a common vision for sustainable development with confidence and continuity. Seychelles’ formal relationship with UNDP began in 1977, when the government of Seychelles and UNDP signed the Standard Basic Assistance Agreement that established the framework for long‑term cooperation on national development efforts.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of State House Seychelles.
