Seychelles UN Speech Says Small Islands Should Not Pay for Distant Wars
SEYCHELLES · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —The country Seychelles is an Indian Ocean archipelago of 115 islands with about 120,000 people, the smallest population in Africa.
- —What happened President Patrick Herminie addressed the UN General Assembly general debate on 23 September 2026.
- —The argument Small states guarding vast ocean areas on modest budgets should not absorb the cost of distant conflicts.
- —On climate He called mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and loss-and-damage funding legal obligations, not charity.
- —The catch Foreign reserves stood at about US$828 million in May 2026, and growth is forecast at 1.5 percent.
The Seychelles UN speech made an argument about cost, not sympathy: who pays when shipping lanes close.
President Patrick Herminie told the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2026 that small states should not pay for other people’s wars. The Seychelles UN speech tied that to shipping and climate law.
What the Seychelles UN speech argued
Patrick Herminie became president of Seychelles in October 2025. This was his first General Assembly speech in the job.
His frame was fairness rather than pity. “Small states like ours do not seek strategic competition—we seek shared solutions,” he said.
The central line was about cost. “Small and vulnerable states should never bear the collateral economic costs of conflicts in which they have no part.”
He paired that with a principle. “Freedom of navigation and maritime security must be preserved under international law.”
Why sea lanes are the whole economy
Seychelles earns its living from visitors and fish. Both depend on ships and aircraft arriving on schedule.
When shipping is disrupted, freight, insurance and fuel all cost more. Tourists also stop flying when the world feels unsafe.
That is why the country spends its diplomatic capital on maritime security. It is not an abstract concern for an island of 120,000 people.
The scale is the problem. Seychelles polices an ocean area far larger than its land, on a national budget to match the land.
Policing an ocean on a small budget
Herminie named three threats at sea. They were transnational organised crime, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Those threats, he said, “threaten our security, wreck our marine ecosystems, and steal from our people”. He asked for practical help rather than statements.
The asks were intelligence sharing, expanded maritime surveillance and law enforcement support. They are the things a small coastguard cannot fund alone.
He put the unfairness plainly. It is “unreasonable to expect nations safeguarding vast oceanic domains with modest budgets” to meet standards set by far richer states.
Climate framed as law
The sharpest passage concerned the International Court of Justice. Seychelles welcomed its advisory opinion on climate change.
The opinion, he said, reinforces that climate action is rooted in international law, equity and intergenerational justice. He then drew the conclusion.
Those four things, he said, “are not acts of charity—they are legal obligations”. He meant mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and loss-and-damage funding.
He also pressed the vulnerability argument. Measuring development by income per head, he said, ignores exposure to climate shocks and geographic isolation.
The high seas treaty is already in force
Seychelles has already ratified the agreement on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Herminie described it as an early ratifying state.
The treaty entered into force on 17 January 2026. Its first conference of the parties runs from 11 to 22 January 2027 at UN headquarters.
So the ask was not ratification by Seychelles. It was for other states to finish theirs before that conference.
For an ocean state, the treaty is economic policy. Protecting waters beyond national control protects the fish that swim into them.
Africa’s Security Council position, restated
Herminie also restated the continental position on Security Council reform. It is the same position Sierra Leone put the day before.
Africa, he said, must hold “no fewer than two permanent seats” with full prerogatives. That includes the veto for as long as it exists.
Small states rarely lead on that file. Adding their voice is how the African group keeps the number of speakers up.
It also signals that this is not only a large-state argument. Seychelles has no prospect of a seat itself.
What it means at home
The speech changes no rules. Its practical reading is about where money and effort will go.
The government will keep funding maritime surveillance and climate resilience. It will keep asking lenders for terms that reflect exposure rather than income.
The domestic backdrop is tighter than the rhetoric suggests. The International Monetary Fund put gross reserves at about US$828 million in May 2026, or 3.7 months of imports.
It forecast real growth of 1.5 percent for 2026. That is a modest number for an economy described as one of Africa’s richest per head.
What is not yet known
Whether Herminie secured bilateral commitments on maritime surveillance is unknown. No agreement was announced in New York.
The central bank has no permanent governor. Caroline Abel resigned on 16 September 2026 after many years in the post.
Brian Commettant is acting in the role. No date has been announced for a permanent appointment.
It is also unclear how quickly lenders will apply the vulnerability measure Seychelles wants. That decision sits with them, not with the Assembly.
FAQ
When was the Seychelles UN speech?
President Patrick Herminie addressed the general debate of the 81st session on 23 September 2026. It was his first as president.
Why does Seychelles say small islands pay for distant wars?
Its economy runs on open sea lanes for tourists, fuel and food. Conflicts that disrupt shipping raise freight, insurance and fuel costs for states with no part in them.
What is the multidimensional vulnerability index?
A measure of how exposed a country is to shocks rather than how poor it is. Seychelles wants it applied so high-income islands can still reach affordable long-term finance.
Has Seychelles ratified the high seas treaty?
Yes. Herminie described Seychelles as an early ratifying state and urged others to finish. The treaty entered into force on 17 January 2026.
Sources: State House Seychelles delivered statement, 23 September 2026; IMF Article IV press release, 26 May 2026; UN BBNJ agreement page.
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