The Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora received the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC), Ms. Lisa Singh and Country Representatives of several United Nations (UN) Agencies on Thursday 27 November at Maison Queau de Quinssy.
The aim of the meeting was to brief Minister Faure to the role of United Nations Agencies which are currently active in the country and working in close collaboration with Government stakeholders across various Ministries, Department and Agencies.
Ms. Singh began by congratulating Minister Faure on his appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora and expressed her hopes for enhanced collaboration between the UN Agencies and the new administration.
The country representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms. Josiane Yaguibou; the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Dr. Jude Padayachy; the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Rex Mpzanje; and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Ms. Alia Hirji, each provided an overview of their ongoing initiatives. They highlighted how their agencies are working closely with local stakeholders, the strategies being implemented to address pressing challenges, and the tangible impact their programmes are making in communities across the country.
One of the initiatives brought up during the meeting was capacity building on “systems thinking and strategic foresight”, which is being delivered in a ‘train the trainer’ format by the UN to the Ministry of Finance, National Planning, Trade and Investment. Ms. Singh explained that this training would help policy makers have a better view of the growth trajectory of the country.
Minister Faure gave the UN team a run-through of the government’s goals for the next five years, which includes the implementation of a smart governance and AI initiative. The minister expressed his hope to partner with the appropriate UN programmes to help implement the government’s vision for an efficient and results driven public service.