The Centre is named after the late Founding President of Seychelles Sir James Mancham

Victoria, Seychelles – International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy named after the late Seychelles Founding President Sir James Mancham has been officially inaugurated on Eden Island, near the capital Victoria.

The Centre was originally Sir James' idea and for the past couple of months has been developed by the University of Seychelles, the Mancham Family and an international group of diplomats and businessmen.

The official launch was attended by Seychelles Vice President Vincent Meriton, former President of the country James Michel, Minister of Health and former Foreign Minister Jean-Paul Adam, Foreign Secretary Ambassador Claude Morel, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Barry Faure, members of Seychelles Parliament, diplomats, businessmen and many friends and allies of Sir James Mancham.

"We had a great emotional day to see one of Sir James’s dreams come alive and to gather so many guests, committed not only to his memory, but also ready to share the Seychelles experience of peace, understanding and building together a successful state. Nowadays we see so much hate and aggressive attitude all around and it is part of our obligation to spread Sir James's message and belief of peace, reconciliation and building our future together. In the Peace Centre you can expect to share and analyze the best global experience of how to make things happen together and it will be the best way to use the legacy of the great statesman and peacemaker Sir James", Maxim Behar, Chairman of the International Board of Trustees said.

"It was Sir James’s dream to launch the centre in Seychelles and it is hoped that this great idea will turn into something which will put the country in the centre of the political map of global efforts to establish peace in the world. We intend to hold conferences, workshops and bilateral meetings, which we expect will turn the Peace Centre into a very interesting hub for different ideas and strategies, helping the peace process globally.", Professor Dennis Hardy said.

"Now that my father is no longer with us we plan to develop his legacy by spreading his philosophy on peace," the President of the Centre, Alexander Mancham said. "We intend to work closely with the Seychelles Government, with the Foreign Office and other institutions in an effort to give his ideas as much global coverage as possible", he said.

"I believe the Sir James Mancham Peace Centre will be a key partner in promoting and creating awareness of the critical role women have as peacemakers in the family, in the community, at the wider national level, and why not regional and International levels", Dr. Erna Athanasius, Seychelles Ambassador for Women and Children said.

Sir James Mancham International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy was officially opened by the widow of Sir James, Lady Mancham with the words: "A passionate champion of peace on a global scale, and a member of many international organizations, forums and think tanks, my late husband collected a multitude of awards and prizes culminating in the prestigious peace prize for Africa with which he was presented last year. However as he grew older and realized that his grueling travel routine must be tempered he started to work to ensure that he left the legacy he had dreamt of and felt that the best way to do this would be to establish an International Peace Centre in his beloved islands."

The official inauguration was closed by Sir James favourite song "Una Paloma Blanca" sung by Cecile Lablasch who encouraged the audience to participate.

Among the members of the International Board of Trustees are its Chairman Maxim Behar, Honorary Consul General of Seychelles in Bulgaria and globally recognized PR expert and entrepreneur, Mark Donfried, Founder and Director of Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Gordon Anderson, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of World Peace, Solomon Passy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and former Chairman of the UN Security Council, Lady Carla Davis, Peace Ambassador and Global Energy Parliament (GEP) Cabinet Minister, Jean Paul Adam, Minister of Health of Seychelles, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Negoslav Ostojic, Executive Director of the European Center for Peace and Development.

Professor Dennis Hardy, Lady Mancham, Alexander Mancham, President of the Centre and Maxim Behar, Chairman of the International Board of Trustees at the official Inauguration of Sir James Mancham International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy, Eden Blue Hotel, Eden Island, Seychelles. August 11, 2017.

View all the speeches from the inauguration ceremony

A big thank you to our sponsors who helped made the launching ceremony a great success: