From Friday 14th to Sunday 16th March 2025, the Climate Parliament headed by its Secretary General, Dr. Sergio Missana, hosted its first sessions in Seychelles under the premise of the ’Parliamentarians for Climate Finance’ project which aims to equip parliamentarians with the knowledge, technical expertise and financial networks needed to drive clean energy, low carbon transport, and climate resilient projects. The project is led by the Climate Parliament and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and involves 15 African countries, including Seychelles as the first Small Island Developing State in the group. The delegation was assisted by Hon. Waven William and Hon. Sandy Arissol as the focal points for the project.
On Friday 14th March the delegation visited the ‘Île de Romainville Solar Park’ to gain first hand insight on the wind turbines on the island which was followed by a bilateral meeting at the National Assembly. This meeting, chaired by the Deputy Clerk, Ms Alexandria Faure involved fruitful discussions on the inclusion of the parliamentary service in the project and the scope of capacity building available for Seychellois parliamentarians going forward. The Deputy Clerk emphasised the need for island states to be directly involved in spearheading discussions and actionable solutions for projects and access to climate finance.
The dialogic sessions took place at the Savoy Resort & Spa at Beau Vallon from Saturday 15th to Sunday 16th March and involved the participation of different stakeholders such as the private sector, the World Bank, the Green Islands Foundation, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Members & Staff of the National Assembly, the Seychelles Investment Board (SIB), Air Seychelles, the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), the Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment (MACCE), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Members of the Seychelles National Youth Assembly (SNYA). The two-day session was officially opened by the President, H.E Mr Wavel Ramkalawan and the Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Mr. Flavien Joubert.
In his inaugural address President Ramkalawan made a call to action for these sessions to ensure that similar to other international workshops and conferences, that this one, albeit the first of its kind does not remain a talkshop but a forum that results in tangible actionable solutions for climate change adaptation and suitable access to Climate Finance in the context of Seychelles as a big ocean state. In his speech, Minister Joubert underscored the importance of addressing the significant climate financing gaps highlighting the importance of equitable access to climate financing.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Roger Mancienne presented a token to the Secretary General of the Climate Parliament, Dr Missana highlighting the commitment of the Assembly in its collaboration with the Climate Parliament going forward.
The role of legislators in climate finance, the urgency of climate action, and actions that island nations can take to address the threats of climate change were nuanced throughout the presentations. Speakers addressed topics such as green tourism, renewable energy, and green energy zones, highlighting opportunities for investment and replicability for small island
