Women Empowering Women in Seychelles

UNFPA in Seychelles, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family, hosted a High-Level Forum celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 on 14th March in Mahe. The Forum aimed to explore ways to invest in women, as per the IWD 2024 theme, and placed entrepreneurship as a vehicle for transformational change to address sustainable development issues. The High-level Forum saw the participation of the First Lady of the Republic of Seychelles and of female Ministers in the Seychelles. It was an opportunity to celebrate the women and girls who are championing the advancement of entrepreneurship and to promote women's access to various financing opportunities including start-up and growth of Small and Medium Enterprises. UNFPA brought in the specific perspective of investing in women’s health to ensure sustainable growth.

Throughout the day, different panels and roundtables were organized with honorary and guest speakers to comprehensively discuss the challenges and opportunities for women’s empowerment and wellbeing in Seychelles. 

Mrs. Marie-Celine Zialor, Minister of Youth, Sports and Family gave a strong opening speech in which she brought up the importance of self-care, and the need for women to unapologetically invest in themselves. 

“Let us be bold, audacious, unapologetic. We wait for so long for someone else to celebrate us, let us celebrate ourselves.” 

Devika Vidot, Minister of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Investment called for women to come together to advance progress and development in Seychelles.

“We live and survive hardships (...) Be bold, be different, make a priority to stand up for yourselves.” 

Ms. Lisa Singh, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles highlighted:

"One crucial aspect of UN efforts is investing in women. By collaborating and supporting each other, we can amplify the impact of our investments and create opportunities that transform the lives of women and girls."

UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Lydia Zigomo, congratulated Seychelles on achieving gender parity in education in Seychelles, as well as their impressive progress in reaching almost 0 in 2 of the 3 UNFPA’s transformative results. Despite these strongly positive numbers, Regional Director Zigomo highlighted that gender inequalities and harmful gender norms still significantly contribute to the inability of women and girls to claim their right to bodily autonomy in Seychelles and encouraged the country to continue its efforts to address the structural barriers which threaten the health, safety, dignity and life aspirations of adolescent girls and young women. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have unfinished business, and we must work together with urgency, investing in women and seizing every opportunity to achieve the inclusive, equitable and sustainable vision of the ICPD.” 

It was a most inspiring forum, with testimonies from remarkable women in Seychelles, who in spite of challenges and obstacles, pushed on and in their own way, made their success.