10.03.06
Seychelles takes a vice-chair at closure of EU conference
On September 19, 2006, Ronny Jumeau, Environment and Natural Resources minister, joined colleagues from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America for a conference in Paris to discuss the integration of environmental protection with European Development Cooperation.
On September 19-21, Seychelles participated in the conference on Biodiversity in European Development Cooperation (BEDC). The conference was organized by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the world’s largest and most important conservation network, and the European Commission (EU). Seychelles had been chosen to take one of the 2 vice-chairs of the closing session, at the adoption of the declaration called “The message of Parisâ€.
Being one of the smallest countries at the conference, Seychelles was the only one state among the chairs of the closing ceremony. The other vice-chair was taken by the head of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), while the chairman will be the director-general of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), one of largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations in the world.
The conference was aimed at ensuring the integration of the environment protection and biodiversity in EU assistance to developing countries. The conference was important for Seychelles as it substantially benefits from EU cooperation.
The conference was attended by the heads of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Conservation Union, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) , the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and others.