14 November 2026 |Environment.
Mr President, Excellencies, Heads of States and Government, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
It is an honor to address this summit on behalf of the Republic of Seychelles, a small island developing state in the western Indian Ocean.
COP 31 comes at a defining moment for the international climate cooperation. Guided by the ambition of moving from dialogue to consensus and from consensus to action.
This summit must demonstrate that our collective commitments should and can translate into tangible results for people and communities particularly those most vulnerable to climate change, that is time to move past all the talking. For Seychelles, climate action is not simply an environmental priority. It is a fundamental issue to our national security, economic stability, sustainable development, and our very survival.
Mr. President, just recently between the 18th and 21st of October this year, Seychelles were severely affected by tropical storm Angueda. Our Department of Risk and Disaster Management has provided a preliminary estimate of approximately millions of dollars in loss and damages. For a small island nation, this is a substantial economic and developmental burden. It demonstrates the disproportionate costs that vulnerable countries continue to bear from climate related disasters despite, I repeat despite contributing very little to global greenhouse and gas emissions.
Seychelles therefore calls for the urgent strengthening of the fund for responding to loss and damage with simplified, predictable and timely access to adequate resources. Climate recovery must not come at the expense of our development or push vulnerable nations further into unsustainable debt.
Mr. President, Seychelles wishes to emphasize five interconnected priorities. First, adaptation and resilience must be at the center of all climate action. We need increased support to implement national adaptation plans, protect our coastlines, secure water supplies, strengthen disaster preparedness, and safeguard our marine ecosystems. The global goal on adaptation must translate, I repeat, must translate into measurable action backed by finance, technology and of course capacity building.
Second, climate finance must be accessible. It must be predictable and it must be equitable. COP 31 as an implementation COP must accelerate delivery of the new collective quantified goal on climate finance particularly through grant-based concessional financing for SIDS. Commitments must translate into resources reaching vulnerable countries at the scale and at the speed required.
Third, vulnerability must be recognized beyond traditional income classifications. Seychelles has been at the forefront of advocating for the multi-dimensional vulnerability index, the MVI. We urge development partners in international financial institutions to integrate the MVI into financing and eligibility decisions recognizing the structural vulnerabilities and disproportionate climate risk facing small island developing states.
Fourth, we must preserve the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal. We are deeply concerned by the prospect of temporarily overshooting this critical threshold. The second global stock take which begins at COP 231 must provide a clear direction for stronger duration and not only overshoot but also improve what we are doing today. Climate science must remain the foundation of our decisions and international cooperation. Seychelles is equally committed to expanding renewable energy and energy efficiency, reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Fifth, our ocean must be central to global climate action. Protecting coral reefs, marine biodiversity, and blue carbon ecosystems is essential to our resilience, livelihoods, and blue economy. We must also empower our young people and local communities as active partners in delivering climate solutions.
The credibility of the Paris Agreement, Mr. President, will ultimately be measured not by the commitments we make, but by their implementation and the support delivered to those most in need. Seychelles calls for renewed spirit of international solidarity, stronger multilateral cooperation and a climate response grounded in science equity and of course climate justice.
Loss from the tropical stomach Angueda is a stark reminder that the cost of climate in action is already being paid by vulnerable nations. Let COP 31 in Antalya be remembered as a turning point from promises to delivery, from commitments to implementation, and from vulnerability to resilience. For Seychelles a small island developing state, our future, my future, your future, the world's future depends on the decisions that we take today.
I thank you.
