NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SEYCHELLES PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

 

(Based on information received from the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

Jérémie Bonnelame, the new Permanent Representative of Seychelles to the United Nations, presented his credentials today to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Before his current appointment, the new envoy served as his country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1997 to February 2005.  Prior to that, he served as Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Commission from 1993 until his appointment as Foreign Minister in 1997.

From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Bonnelame held different ministerial positions in the Government, serving as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries (1989-1993), Minister of Transport (1988-1989) and Minister of Manpower (1986-1988).

He was Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education (1979-1980), Principal Secretary in the Ministry of External Relations (1981-1983) and Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Information from 1983 until he was named Minister of Manpower in 1986.

From 1978 to 1979, he was Director-General of Information, and from 1967 to 1975 he taught at the Modern Secondary School of Seychelles and was Editor-in-Chief of the Catholic monthly “L’Écho des Îles”.

Mr. Bonnelame studied political economy at the Institut Œcuménique pour le Développement des Peuples (INODEP-Paris) in France from 1976 to 1978, as well as at the University of Québec (Montreal) in Canada.  He obtained his Diploma in educational psychology from the Institut Catholique de Paris after he had undertaken theological studies at the School of Theology at Sion from 1962 until 1965.  From 1959 to 1962 he attended the School of Theology at Lucerne where he undertook philosophical studies.  He completed his pre-university studies at Collège de l’Abbaye de St. Maurice in 1959, having entered that college in 1957.

Mr. Bonnelame, who speaks French, English and Créole, has also undertaken other responsibilities during his long career, including as President of the Ministerial Council of the Tuna Association -- Phase II; Co-Coordinator of the Western Indian Ocean Tuna Organization; Governor on the Board of Governors of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and as President of the Seychellois delegation at the fourth European Union-Seychelles Fisheries Agreement negotiations.  He also represented his country as head of delegation at various international and bilateral meetings over a period of 12 years.

Born in the Seychelles on 24 October 1938, Mr. Bonnelame is married and has one child.

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