Seychelles has set up a local branch of the 'Droits Humains Ocean Indien' (DIS-MOI) -- a regional group advocating for human rights.
The launching took place last Tuesday during a seminar on human rights education training at the Care House in the Seychelles' capital, Victoria.
Prior to the launching, 20 Seychellois did a three-week online training organised by the 'Droits Humains Océan Indien' and the Australian government with the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights in Seychelles and in the region.
In thanking DIS-MOI and the Australian government, the secretary of state of Foreign Affairs, Barry Faure, said that Seychelles "recognises the impressive work which this civil society organisation has undertaken in the region in the promotion of human rights-based culture.
Faure made reference particularly to the training of hundreds of citizens, including those from neighbouring Small Island Developing States.
"This is an exceptional example of the substantial contribution and impact which civil society organisations bring to our community and its governance, notably in matters of human rights," he said.
The secretary of state added that "Today, the government and citizens of Seychelles are ever more determined to achieve the full realisation of the effective and efficient fulfilment of human rights of all persons living on our islands, an approach which sits at the forefront of our national priorities."
At the launching ceremony, the founder of the initiative who is also the director of the regional secretariat, Lindley Couronne, said, "It is important to promote human rights and citizenship education among all groups including children, the elderly, people with disabilities, LGBT (lesbian, gays, bisexual and transexuals), migrant workers and women."
"This will ensure the existence of a true tradition where human rights are respected and protected, and by extension a world where citizens enjoy fundamental rights as they are enshrined in the African Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," added Couronne.