Seychelles Warns of Mounting Economic Pressure and calls for urgent implementation of the MVI and the need for diversified trade routes.
Speaking on the opening day of the Executive Council, Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Ambassador Barry Faure, warned of the mounting economic pressure of the war in the middle east and called for urgent implementation of the Multi-dimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and the need for diversified trade routes.
On the matter of economic activity and trade, Seychelles reported that the country’s tourism arrivals significantly fell by 40% in the first week of the conflict at the height of the disruptions. Several months following this development arrivals remains down by 12.5% compared to the same period last year. Minister Faure further emphasized that this challenge is further being compounded by rising shipping costs, fuel surcharges, all of which have direct impact on the Seychellois people. Minister Faure therefore, highlighted the need for stronger connectivity between the continent and its island and coastal states through regional shipping lines as a means to increase intra-african trade.
While the World Bank ranks Seychelles as having the highest GDP per capita in Africa, Minister Faure urged the Council not to measure resilience by wealth alone, stressing that a population of just 100,000 leaves it with a far narrower margin to absorb global shocks, and calling for greater recognition of the particular vulnerabilities faced by small island states though the implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability index (MVI) in any assessment of economic resilience.
The Republic of Mauritius, a fellow small developing island state which is also encountering similar challenges arising from the conflict in the Middle East, in their intervention extended their support towards the implementation of the MVI, a testament to the solidarity between the two countries.
Minister Faure is being accompanied by Mr. Conrad Mederic, Ambassador of the Republic of Seychelles to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ms. Trisha Hoareau, Second Secretary in the Embassy, and Mrs. Nisha Chengo, Second Secretary in the Ministry.
United Nation – Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO)
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS)
United Nations – Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – to assist the National Liaison Officer (Terence)
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) [Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC) or Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction]
International Telecommunication Organisation (ITU)
Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA): Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA): Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) {formerly Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction (BTWC)}
Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA): Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office OHCHR) [incl: Secretariat to United Nations – Human Rights Council and Universal Periodic Review (UPR)]
Oversees consular cases, provides assistance to Seychellois nationals in distress abroad.
Responsible for processing applications from Diplomatic Missions and Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for access to the VIP Lounge at the Seychelles International Airport in line with relevant policies.
Additionally, she Coordinates requests for rental of protocol equipment and the sale of the Seychelles National Flag.
Before her appointment as Ambassador, Ms. Cillia Mangroo served as Executive Director in the Office of the Minister at the Ministry of Finance, National Planning, and Trade. She brings over 18 years of experience within the Ministry, with a strong focus on trade-related matters.
Ambassador Mangroo has held several senior positions throughout her career. From March 2022 to August 2025, she served as Executive Director in the Minister’s Office. Prior to that, she was Principal Secretary for Trade from March 2017 to March 2022. She also represented the Ministry internationally, serving as Trade Attaché in Brussels from 2010 to 2012, and later as Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the Seychelles Mission in Geneva in 2012.
In addition to her professional roles, Ambassador Mangroo has chaired and served on numerous national committees, panels, and government boards. She is also a published author, having contributed to Trade Multilateralism in the 21st Century with her work titled “The WTO Accession of Seychelles: Lessons from a Small Island Economy” (2017).
She holds a Master’s degree in International Trade Law from the University of Turin, Italy, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Manchester, England.
Responsible for giving visibility to the Department through its website, Press Releases and social media platforms, and coordinate with Seychelles Diplomatic Missions abroad in the promotion of Seychelles Foreign Policy in their respective jurisdictions.
A vacancy exists for the position of Attorney-General in the Republic of Seychelles.
Applications are invited from persons who are qualified under Article 76, read in conjunction with Article 126, of the Constitution of Seychelles, for appointment as Attorney-General.
A person shall hold office as Attorney-General for a term of not more than seven years and is eligible for reappointment at the end of a term of office.