GENEVA, Switzerland, October 21, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — “The emerging concept of the ‘Blue Economy’ demands that skills development become central to Seychelles’ education system,” today said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Kishore Singh, noting the country’s efforts to develop a sustainable economy based on better protection and use of marine resources. “Technical and vocational education and training, and collaboration with industry and enterprises must be strengthened to ensure that the Seychellois acquire the skills and competencies needed to build the nation,” he stressed* at the end of his first information-gathering mission to the…
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GENEVA, Switzerland, October 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Education reforms and the education of vulnerable children are among the issues to be assessed in the Republic of Seychelles by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Kishore Singh, during his official visit to the country from 14 to 21 October 2013. “This mission will allow us to assess the efforts undertaken by Seychelles to implement the right to education, the measures adopted for its successful realization, and the obstacles encountered at the national level,” said Mr. Singh, announcing the first visit to the country by an…
GENEVA, Switzerland, September 26, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is meeting in Geneva from 30 September to 18 October to review women’s rights in the following countries: Moldova (1 Oct), Colombia (2 Oct), Benin (3 Oct), Andorra (4 Oct) Cambodia (8 Oct), Tajikistan (9 Oct), Seychelles (10 Oct) The above are among the 187 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and are required to submit regular reports to the Committee of 23 international independent experts that monitors…
BEIJING, China, July 19, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announces:At the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Minister Jean-Paul Adam of the Republic of Seychelles will pay an official visit to China from July 21 to 28.
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC June 17, 2013 On behalf of the government and the people of the United States, I congratulate the government and people of Seychelles on your twentieth anniversary on June 18. As you celebrate this day, the United States looks back with you in pride on the long and productive relationship between our nations. We also look forward with you in hope for the continued success and development of Seychelles. We appreciate the strong and effective role Seychelles has played in advancing maritime…
VICTORIA, Mahé, May 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On May 8, 2013, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Seychelles. 1BackgroundIn the few years since the 2008 debt crisis, Seychelles has made remarkable strides, quickly restoring macroeconomic stability and creating room for private-sector activity. Macroeconomic developments in the tourism-based island economy have been favorable, despite the challenging global environment. Notably, growth held up as the tourism industry successfully attracted arrivals from non-traditional markets as European arrivals slumped, while a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) supported construction in recent years. For…
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, May 10, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — European Union–Seychelles / Joint Press ReleaseA delegation of the Republic of Seychelles led by Mr Philippe Michaud, Chairman of the Seychelles Fishing Authority, and a delegation from the European Commission led by Mr Roberto Cesari, Head of unit for the Bilateral agreements and controls in international waters, Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, initialled in Mahé the 10th of May 2013 a new Fisheries Partnership Protocol governing the fisheries activities of the EU vessels in the Seychelles’ waters.The negotiations and discussions took place in a very constructive atmosphere…
VICTORIA, Mahé, May 9, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the seventh review of Seychelles’ economic performance under a program supported by the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).1 Completion of the review permits the immediate disbursement of SDR 3.3 million (about US$5.0 million), bringing total disbursements under the four-year arrangement to SDR 23.1 million (about US$34.9 million). At the same meeting, the Executive Board also concluded the 2013 Article IV Consultation with Seychelles, details of which will be published in due course in a Public Information NoticeThe Executive Board approved a…
MOGADISHU, Somalia, December 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia Nicholas Kay, visited Beledweyne, capital of the Hiraan region in his first visit to the central regions of Somalia. Upon arrival SRSG Kay said: “I chose to come to Beledweyne on my first visit to south-central regions outside Mogadishu because Hiraan is at the heart of Somalia. What happens here can shape the future of Somalia.” The Governor of Hiraan region, Abdi Farah Laqanyo welcomed SRSG Kay, briefed him on the challenges facing the region, especially security, and commended the work of the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, December 10, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM today joins the global community in paying tribute to global icon, Nelson Mandela, with its Director General William Lacy Swing joining thousands of global dignitaries who have come to South Africa to pay last respects to the legendary South African leader. Ambassador Swing, who worked closely with Mandela when he was US ambassador to South Africa from 1989 to 1992, will attend today the official memorial service to be held at the FNB Stadium near Soweto in Gauteng, the site of Nelson Mandela’s first speech in Johannesburg after his…
GENEVA, Switzerland, September 17, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS from mothers to their children is an essential step in curbing the disease’s epidemic in Swaziland.Since February 2013, an innovative approach, commonly referred to as PMTCTB+ (prevention of mother-to-child transmission, option B+), is being B+ rolledout by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Ministry of Health in the Nhlangano area, in the south of the country. It aims to place 2,000 HIV-positive pregnant women on treatment over the next four years, as soon as possible after their diagnosis. So far, more than 200 women…
MBABANE, Swaziland, February 20, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On February 8, 2013, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with the Kingdom of Swaziland.1BackgroundThe Kingdom of Swaziland is recovering from a severe fiscal crisis. At the end of the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2012 (FY 2011/12), Swaziland registered a fiscal deficit of E 1.7 billion (6.0 percent of gross domestic product—GDP) and a stock of domestic arrears of E 1.6 billion (5.4 percent of GDP). While the deficit was lower than in FY 2010/11, the adjustment was partly achieved through…
MBABANE, Swaziland, November 7, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Joannes Mongardini visited the Kingdom of Swaziland during October 24-November 7, 2012, to conduct the 2012 Article IV Consultation discussions with the Swaziland authorities.1 The mission met with the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Themba Masuku; Minister of Finance, Hon. Majozi Sithole; Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Hon. Clement Dlamini; the Governor of the Central Bank of Swaziland, Mr. Martin Dlamini; and other senior officials. Furthermore, it held fruitful discussions with development partners, parliamentarians, and representatives of the private sector and…
ROME, Italy, September 21, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Rural farmers in Swaziland are starting to reap the fruits of a comprehensive effort by the government and FAO with support of the EU to reverse the country’s declining agricultural productivity. Consecutive years of drought, a crushing aids pandemic, decades of economic slowdown and more recent soaring prices of food and agricultural inputs: it has become increasingly hard to make a living for Swaziland’s cash-strapped rural population, highly dependent on subsistence farming. According to FAO’s most recent hunger figures, almost 20 percent of the country’s one million people is undernourished. Since…
WASHINGTON, September 4, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementHillary Rodham ClintonSecretary of StateWashington, DCSeptember 4, 2012On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Swaziland as you celebrate your Independence Day this September 6.Swaziland and the United States have a long history of working together, most notably in our partnership to combat HIV/AIDS. With hard work, the people of Swaziland are making steady progress towards our shared commitment to an AIDS-free generation of Swazis. The United States is committed to working with Swaziland to continue…
NEW YORK, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via African Press Organization (APO)/ — On Wednesday, June 6, two teenagers from Swaziland, the small country located in southern Africa, were named the winners of the inaugural Scientific American Science in Action Award, powered by the Google Science Fair. The winners are Sakhiwe Shongwe and Bonkhe Mahlalela, both 14, and their winning project explores an affordable way to provide hydroponics to poor subsistence farmers, enabling them to grow their crops and vegetables in very large quantities and within limited space without using soil. In addition to the $50,000 prize, Shongwe and Mahlalela will…
MBABANE, Swaziland, February 8, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On January 23, 2012, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund concluded the 2011 Article IV consultation with the Kingdom of Swaziland.Under Article IV of its Articles of Agreement, the IMF has a mandate to exercise surveillance over the economic, financial and exchange rate policies of its members in order to ensure the effective operation of the international monetary system. The IMF’s appraisal of such policies involves a comprehensive analysis of the general economic situation and policy strategy of each member country. IMF economists visit the member country, usually once…
MBABANE, Swaziland, February 1, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — At the request of the authorities, a mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Mr. Joannes Mongardini, visited Swaziland during January 26-February 1, 2012, to (i) review the draft budget for the fiscal year 2012/13 starting April 1, 2012, (ii) assist the authorities in elaborating a strategy to improve public finance management, in collaboration with development partners, and (iii) take stock of recent developments and update the risk assessment pertaining to the financial sector. The mission met with the Minister of Finance, Hon. Majozi Sithole; the Governor of the…
GENEVA, Switzerland, October 16, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — At the end of her mission, the United Nations Special Rapporteur Margaret Sekaggya called on the Government of Togo to ensure that human rights defenders can work in a favorable environment “by fully implementing existing legal framework, avoiding their stigmatization and fostering a spirit of dialogue and constructive criticism.” “The situation of defenders and civil society in Togo has improved with respect to what I saw in 2008 and I commend the authorities, civil society and the international community for the efforts made,” Ms. Sekaggya noted at the end of her…
LOME, Togo, October 3, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Montfort Mlachila visited Togo during August 21-September 6, 2013 to conduct the annual Article IV consultation and to conduct policy discussions with the authorities about possible IMF support for the government’s economic program under a three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF).The mission met with Prime Minister Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu, Minister of the Economy and Finance Adji Otèth Ayassor, Minister of Rural Development, Handicrafts, Youth and Youth Employment Victoire Tomegah-Dogbé, Minister of Planning, Development and Regional Planning Mawussi Semodji, Minister of Transport and of Energy and…