UN General Assembly
2008

or loans that have been given to Seychelles have been properly and accountably utilized for the benefit of our people. It is as if we were being penalized for our success in raising the standard of living of our people. We have fallen into the so-called middle-income trap. Furthermore, no account is taken of the fact that Seychelles falls into the category of highly vulnerable countries as defined by the Commonwealth vulnerability index. Why should our relative success be the reason for the denial of access to special development funds, especially those addressing education, water, sanitation and health? Is that the price we have to pay for improving the quality of life of our people? Is that the price we have to pay for dedicating over 50 per cent of our territory to environmental conservation for the benefit of the whole world? Our natural environment is our future, our treasure trove of biodiversity. We attach the highest importance to its preservation, not only for ourselves, but also for the rest of the world. Like many other small island States, Seychelles