Seychelles, UK hand over ICRI chair to Palau, Japan

Seychelles Nation - 27.04.2005

The coral reef protection torch has been handed over to Palau and Japan, as the two-year lead role played by Seychelles and the UK comes to an end.

The chair of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) was relinquished on Monday evening at a Seychelles–UK co-hosted reception at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Botanical Gardens headquarters.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the ICRI leadership traditionally goes to one developed state and one developing, a tradition maintained with Japan and Pacific island Palau taking over from the UK and Seychelles.

In a speech marking the hand over British High Commissioner, Diana Skingle, highlighted the role of teamwork in successful reef conservation.

"Partnership is what ICRI is all about. Partnership between like minded countries, partnership between concerned professionals and partnership between today's young people."

High on the list of achievements of the two-year Seychelles–UK mandate has been the meeting held at January's Mauritius Small Island Developing States (Sids) summit, attended by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

"ICRI has established a sense of an international coral reef community, providing a voice for coral reefs in international discussions," said the High Commissioner, pointing to the Sids summit as the fruition of this work.

Environment principal secretary Rolf Payet, who co-chaired the ICRI on behalf of Seychelles along with UK’s John Robert, also raised the Sids meet as one of the highlights over the last two years.

"Together we have demonstrated how governments can proactively work with NGOs and produce visible and tangible results," said PS Payet, before he and Mr Robert presented representatives of Palau and Japan with coco de mer nuts, symbolising the hand over of the ICRI leadership.

ICRI was started in a meeting in the Philippines in 1995 in order to provide a focus on the plight of reefs and on the actions necessary to save them.

The organisation brings together governments, NGOs and other stakeholders to address coral reef conservation and management with the aim of reducing coral reef destruction.

Since its inception ICRI has convened biannual or annual general meetings; undertaken international and national workshops and produced publications to raise awareness and mobilise governments and stakeholders to take action to reverse the degradation of coral reefs.