Opening Speech by the Minister of Internal Affairs,International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025 Theme: “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters”

It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Seychelles’ commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025. Today, we gather not only as officials and professionals, but as people who share one common goal: keeping our families, our communities, and our nation safe.

The global theme this year, “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” speaks powerfully to our times. Around the world, we see disasters becoming more frequent, more intense, and more expensive. And while Seychelles may not face disasters on the same scale as others, our small island geography makes us deeply vulnerable. One severe storm, one landslide, one flood can set back years of progress.

That is why investing in resilience is investing in our future. It is not just about building infrastructure; it is about protecting lives, livelihoods, and the environment that sustains us. When we fund resilience, we fund peace of mind for our people.

Projects such as the St. Louis Stabilisation Project remind us what proactive investment looks like in practice: slope stabilisation, rock fall protection, and drainage systems that prevent tragedy before it happens. Every such initiative is proof that foresight pays off, not only in cost savings, but in human safety and community confidence.

But building resilience requires more than plans and projects. It requires commitment, coordination, and compassion. Every ministry, every private sector partner, every citizen has a role to play. From how we plan our homes and roads to how we respond as neighbours in times of crisis, resilience must become part of our national culture.

And to make that possible, we must ensure that disaster risk reduction is built into our budgets, our policies, and our way of thinking. We must see it not as an expense but as a wise investment, one that saves lives and prevents far greater losses in the long run.

Today’s event is not just a commemoration. It is a call to action, a call to fund smarter, act earlier, and stand together. It is a reminder that resilience is not built by government alone but by all of us, communities, partners, and individuals working hand in hand.

Let us commit today to investing not in recovery but in readiness, not in rebuilding but in reinforcing. Together, let us fund resilience, not disasters, and build a safer, stronger Seychelles for generations to come.

Thank you.