Seychelles' former President Faure named chair of Commonwealth of Learning board
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(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles' former President, Danny Faure, has been named the chair of the board of governors of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the organisation said in a press release last week.
In his message of congratulations, President Wavel Ramkalawan said, "It is an honour for Seychelles and I wish you the very best as you chair the Board of this prestigious organisation," said Ramkalawan.
As Seychelles' Minister of Education at the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) in 2000, Faure introduced the idea of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC). Three years later, he strongly advocated for COL to be the lead agency in implementing this initiative.
He also represented Africa on the COL board of governors from January 2014 to December 2016 during his tenure as Vice President of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
Faure was the fourth President of Seychelles from October 16, 2016, to October 2020. During his tenure, he designated 30 percent of the island nation's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), making Seychelles a leader in marine protection.
The organisation said that Faure "inspired COL to advance the concept of the Blue Economy, which was still in its infancy at the time."
The former President was recognised by the African Union as a champion for the development of the Blue Economy at the 11th Extraordinary Assembly Session of the African Union in Addis Ababa in 2018.
In 2019, he was awarded the National Geographic Society's prestigious "Planetary and Leadership Award at a National Geographic Awards Ceremony at the George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Faure is currently the patron and chairperson of the Danny Faure Foundation, launched in 2021 to promote sustainable development. He was made an honorary member of the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa in 2022.
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is the world's only intergovernmental organisation established to promote distance education and open learning. It was created in 1988 by The Commonwealth organisation and has its headquarters in Burnaby, Canada.
