The National Assembly partnered with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for a Capacity Building Workshop on ‘Promoting Parliamentary Action for a Green COVID-19 Recovery’.
The Workshop for Members took place on Thursday the 09th of September and the Workshop for the Staff of the Secretariat took place on Friday the 10thSeptember, 2021 on the Virtual platform, Zoom.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant economic and social challenges across the world. In deciding on measures for their recoveries, countries are facing choices between numerous trajectories. Governments, local authorities, communities and the private sector are deciding on how to structure the recovery response, what areas and sectors to prioritise, how to rebuild the economy, whether to choose “business as usual” scenarios for investment and strategic development or to invest into a more sustainable future with stronger health systems, fewer people living in extreme poverty, less gender inequality, a healthier natural environment, and more resilient societies.
While an enormous challenge, this process also presents an opportunity to strengthen the commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, enhance environmental protection and build back better.
Parliaments are key players in determining recovery strategies at national level. Parliamentarians across the world are debating recovery packages, reviewing development strategies, and determining budgetary reallocations necessary to both combat the virus and to put their countries on the path of economic and social recovery.
In 2020, the IPU and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a joint publication entitled ‘Green Approaches to COVID-19 Recovery: Policy note for Parliamentarians’. The policy note highlights key approaches that parliamentarians can take to promote a sustainable and green recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and shares corresponding best practices at the national and regional levels. This policy note forms part of a larger cooperation between the IPU and UNEP who have a Memorandum of Understanding which enables our two organizations to better support parliaments in promoting sustainable development and climate change action, including by ensuring COVID-19 responses are aligned with environmental and development objectives.
As part of this cooperation, the IPU and UNEP have invited Expressions of Interest from parliaments to receive technical support in their efforts to promote a green recovery to the pandemic, in line with the key action
areas of our joint policy note. This assistance is provided to a selected number of parliaments, of which the Parliament of Seychelles is a part of, to build their capacity to formulate and review legislation and budgets and provide effective oversight in a manner that supports a more resilient, sustainable recovery. The core elements of a green economy are low-carbon development, resource efficiency and social inclusion.
This two-day Workshop had the main aims of providing key information that can be used in the national-level policy- and law-making discourse on the recovery measures; Provide key advice, guidance and information on the areas of response where sustainable approaches present particular short- medium- and long-term benefits, also by rending examples of sustainable measures already put in place in other countries and building capacity to formulate and review legislation and budgets and provide effective oversight in a manner that supports a more resilient, sustainable recovery.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Roger Mancienne took the opportunity to express his appreciation for being present for this Workshop that was facilitated by the IPU and UNEP. He looked forward to the fruitful debate and hoped that Members can implement the best practices being shared by the IPU and UNEP into their legislative work. Both the Leader of the Opposition (LOTO), Hon. Sebastien Pillay and the Leader of Government Business (LGB), Hon. Bernard Georges were keen to participate in the Workshop.
The LGB mentioned that it was an honour and privilege for him to be part of the Workshop and noted that Covid-19 is indeed one of the major disruptive event of this lifetime. Further to that, he stated that the climatic stress that our planet is facing brings further uncertainty. The LGB believes that having a Green Covid-19 Recovery is essential to move forward and that it is crucial for the parliament to be at the forefront of this Framework.
The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Pillay further expanded on the points made by stating that the role of parliaments is to legislate, have oversight and educate people of the Green Covid-19 Recovery. He stressed that we must find the best ways to bounce back from all that we are facing without overusing what we have to make up for what we lost. He stated that the impact that Covid-19 has had on Seychelles is tremendous but we must move forward as a “cleaner” generation.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Mrs Tania Isaac expressed how grateful and glad she was that the Seychelles parliament was able to collaborate with the IPU and the UNEP for this historical Workshop and noted that this is a sign of the strong and unwavering relationship that the Seychelles Parliament has with these two Organisations.
A second Capacity Building Workshop for Members of the National Assembly of Seychelles is expected to take place in the First Quarter of 2022.
