Over the past 6 months, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) for Seychelles and the Government of the Republic of Seychelles have been collaborating to design a new strategic partnership document. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2024-2028) will be co-owned and co-signed by the UN and government and aligned to the National Development Plans and priorities. This strategic document will provide the overall strategy and plan to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   One of the principal events associated with UNSDCF formulation is a two-day Strategic Prioritization Retreat (SPR).  The SPR co-hosted by the UNCT and the Government of Seychelles was held on 7-8 March 2023 at the Savoy Hotel, Beau Vallon, Seychelles. The purpose of the SPR was to agree and further refine with the government and other key stakeholders the priority areas shaping the future cooperation framework. An important milestone event the SPR engagement was built on themes and focus areas for UN collaboration arising from the independent evaluation of the existing Strategic Partnership Framework (SPR) (2018-2023), UN Common Country Analysis (CCA), and consultations with government, civil society, academia, and private sector. The SPR brought a cross-section of around 50 development partners, including ministers, other government officials, and the United Nations Development System to think strategically about risks and how to address risks and vulnerabilities within the unique context of the country. With less than ten years left to achieve the SDGs, the UNCT for Seychelles aims to design a Cooperation Framework in partnership with the government that is strategic, succinct, adaptable, and results-oriented and which integrates Leave No One Behind (LNOB) as the core unifying principle.   In her opening remarks, the UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Lisa Simrique Singh commended the government for the significant progress that Seychelles has made in its development trajectory. She reminded participants that with only 7 years to go before the 2030 Agenda all partners need to come together to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. As such the Resident Coordinator stressed the importance of focussed, systemic efforts on the part of the UN.  She also spoke of multiple overlapping challenges and risks posing challenges for international development and economic systems, and the need to advance resilient solutions.    In his keynote address, the Minister for Finance, Planning and Trade Mr. Naadir Hassan outlined the current status of the National Plan which had been framed based on a ‘rethink and reform agenda for results’ emerging out of the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The Minister called on the UN joint programmes to adopt horizontal cross-sectoral solutions alongside SDG financing to respond to resourcing gaps. The Minister also requested the UN to leverage its access to expertise and partnerships, including the private sector for integrated development solutions.                  To kickstart the exploration of challenges and opportunities a high-level panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative, on behalf of the UNCT. Panellists comprised: Hon. Mr Naadir Hassan, Minister for Finance, National Planning & Trade Ms Aissatou Diallo, Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Ms Joelle Perreau, Vice Chancellor, University of Seychelles Mr Ashraf El Nour, Regional Director, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mr Charles Boliko, Regional Director, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)   Dialogue centred on food systems and food sovereignty, anticipating the future human capital (educational and skills) needs of a transformed economy, and the full integration of climate adaptation and the significant associated costs across all sectors. The importance of readily accessible investment climate and SDG finance and digitization featured prominently, alongside the imperative role of the private sector, as well as capacity building for ensuring the means of implementation. During the afternoon of day one, and the morning of day two, a series of group foresight exercises were held to encourage the UN and government participants to think strategically to jointly identify the key challenges and priorities to address in support of the SDGs and national development priorities. Based on the participants’ inputs from the SPR outcomes and inter-agency outputs will be reviewed to ensure a high-quality, risk-informed strategic document for Seychelles. The draft cooperation framework will be shared for validation in April.   In closing the SPR, the UN Resident Coordinator expressed gratitude to the government and UN colleagues for thinking and collaborating strategically. She commented on the requirement for robust partnerships to address the emergent priority areas. Ms. Singh emphasised the consensus on foresight and the portfolio approach, and the important discussions which had taken place around sustainable capacity building throughout all pillars. The Resident Coordinator also highlighted there are good opportunities for regional and South-South cooperation.   Minister Hassan in his closing remarks echoed Seychelle’s complex, unique challenges, and to move beyond labels e.g. high-income countries. He highlighted that the country’s reliance on imports leaves it highly vulnerable, weakened by the pandemic and war in Ukraine. As such he recognized that this necessitates innovation and new ways of thinking, including around digitalisation and financing. The Minister repeated his request for strong partnerships and greater synergies and coordination between UN agencies and thanked the participants for their presence and contributions.

Civil servants from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Family Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles concluded a three-day capacity-building workshop with support from UN Women Regional Office for East and Southern Africa, to understand better the gender equality issues in the agriculture sector in Seychelles. The training that took place from 28 February to 2 March, was the first of its kind where UN Women worked closely with civil servants from both government departments to unpack and explore the nature and breadth of the gender-related issues in Seychelles. The overall objective of the workshop was to explore ways to encourage more women to participate in the agriculture sector to strengthen food security in the country. During his opening remarks, the Principal Secretary of the Department of Family, Mr. Chive Roucou said: “… women’s empowerment plays a fundamental role in the development of any society, henceforth the agriculture sector is not an exception.” He went on to highlight that only about 6% of Seychellois farmers are women and that “women are not taking farming as one of their top career choices”. The workshop allowed participants to explore the challenges faced by women in entering the agriculture sector, and in excelling within the sector. Access to time and labour-saving technologies, sufficient farming inputs, access to extension services and access to agricultural land were identified areas where the Government could provide focused support to women. Gender equality issues beyond the agriculture sector were also raised, these included a high number of women-headed households (especially on Mahe Island); gender-based violence, and a disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work that is born by women. Another issue that was raised was the lack of relevant data to fully understand the situation faced by many of the Seychellois. “We need to provide time and labour saving technologies to women to ensure that they do not leave the farms at six in the evening while their children are hungry at home”, said Mr. Keven Nancy, Principal Secretary of the Department of Agriculture highlighting that women are balancing many simultaneous responsibilities of both earning a living and taking care of their children and families. The workshop was held within the context of the ‘Building the Resilience for Food Systems in Mauritius And Seychelles by Leveraging on Sustainable Agricultural Practices’ programme implemented in both Mauritius and Seychelles. The project is funded by the Joint SDG Fund and under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinators Office for Mauritius and Seychelles the project is implemented by UN Women, UNDP, and FAO. This article originally appeared on the UN Women website.

Being a small island state means that Seychelles can face challenges around making sure the population has reliable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Linked to this vulnerability is the inequitable impact of climate change and its effects on the country’s food systems. World Pulses Day is celebrated on 10th February, giving us the opportunity to highlight the benefits of this superfood in terms of nutrition, food security, and the environment.     Pulses, nutritious seeds Humans have been cultivating pulses since the dawn of agriculture, and they were one of the first plants in the world to be domesticated. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the lead agency for World Pulses Day, pulses are among the most nutritious crops on the planet. Every time dried beans, broad beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas are used, both sides of the nutrition problem are addressed, namely quality and quantity. These are the key ingredients of a healthy diet. Some of the main benefits of pulses are listed in the table below:   The most recent Seychelles National Health Strategic Plan reported that 36% of school-aged children in the country were classed as overweight and obese in 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) has found that overweight and obese children are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and to develop noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. Pulses contain a lot of carbohydrates and fibre, slowing down digestion. Not only does this process make you feel full, but it also helps control blood sugar and insulin levels. This makes it an ideal food for diabetics and for managing body weight. In this way, a diet high in pulses can be beneficial to supporting a healthy lifestyle. Pulses as a climate-smart crop The challenge facing the world today is how to produce enough food for a growing population without further degrading natural resources and exacerbating the consequences of climate change.  Pulses are climate smart: growing them helps fight against soil erosion, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and improves carbon sequestration, which is good for the planet. The cultivation of pulses not only helps to fight against climate change but also has a beneficial effect on soil biodiversity because they do not need nitrogen fertilizers. When pulses are planted in the soil, micro-organisms are activated and considerably increase the fertility of the soil. This self-sufficiency avoids the emission of greenhouse gases, which are a by-product of the production and use of nitrogen fertilizers. Pulses, a tool for food security Pulses are a low-cost crop for farmers thriving in dry lands with a long shelf life. Ninety percent of the world's pulses are produced by 100 million farmers who grow them in drylands. Because they require less water than other crops, they can be grown in climates where rainfall is scarce or erratic, where other crops die or show low yields. Read more about the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-pulses-day.

Science is a way of building knowledge and generating solutions for everyday life. It helps us solve human, animal and plant diseases, understand water and climate change, and lead us to innovations that make the world a better place.  Science must be accessible to everyone across the world, especially to women and girls. February 11 is an annual recognition and celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS), a day that reminds us to work towards improving access for women and girls to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and research, and creating a conducive and favorable environment for female scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians. Despite celebrating the IDWGIS for the past 8 years, UNESCO’s Director General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay reports that just one in three researchers is a woman and only just over 35% of graduates in STEM-related fields in higher education. And yet, it is clearly acknowledged that increased female participation in science is key to tackling major global challenges such as major diseases, climate change, and natural disasters and developing more equitable, inclusive, effective, and sustainable responses to these threats, In this year’s statement on the auspices of IDWGIS, UNESCO’s Director General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay has stressed the importance of closing the science gender gap by taking concerted, concrete measures to overcome stereotypes and biases that prevent women and girls from realizing their full potential. Ms. Azoulay reiterated that at:  “UNESCO, where we work to build peace in the minds of men and women, addressing these stereotypes is a priority – because more women in science means better science. This conviction underpins all our work in this domain, and is enshrined in our Recommendation on Open Science, adopted by all our Member States in 2021”. UNESCO is working to foster equitable and inclusive environments with Partners such as Intel to close the science and digital divide by encouraging girls to pursue science courses by offering them scientific mentorship opportunities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Through this initiative, millions of girls will be mentored by women scientists who have broken the glass ceiling and are pioneering scientific breakthroughs in their respective fields. This year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science will celebrate the achievements of these women and provide encouragement, support, and opportunities for girls to be engaged in the wealth of scientific fields led by women that will define all our futures. For this to happen, governments need to devise concerted and creative new solutions to enable girls and women to seize new and emerging STEM opportunities in the artificial intelligence and automation age; without them, women will definitely fall further behind in the scientific and technological world of work. Inspiration can be taken from the Winners of the 2022 L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents Awards | UNESCO. The achievements in these areas of the women featured can serve to encourage more girls from the region to take up STEM subjects and careers.