Every year, on the tenth of September, the world observes World Suicide Prevention Day, and we are reminded that behind every life lost to suicide is a face, a family, and a future that was cut short too soon. As President of the Republic of Seychelles, I carry this reminder with me not as a statistic to note, but as a responsibility to act. Mental health is not a peripheral concern to my Government. It is a foundation of the nation we are building, and silence and stigma have too often stood between our people and the help they need and deserve.

Since taking office, I have worked to place mental health firmly on our national agenda, strengthening access to counselling and psychosocial support and investing in the training of mental health professionals so that care reaches every island. This is a commitment I made to the people of Seychelles, and it is one I intend to honour in full: that no Seychellois should ever feel they must face despair alone, and that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. My Government remains dedicated to building a health system, and a society, where mental wellbeing is treated with the same urgency and compassion as physical health.

Yet I know that government action alone cannot carry this weight. I call on our faith-based organisations, our NGOs, our schools, our workplaces, and every citizen to be part of this effort: to check in on a neighbour, to listen without judgment, and to guide those who are struggling gently toward help. Civil society has always been the beating heart of compassion in Seychelles. Today, I ask that heart to beat a little louder for those in pain, so that together we may build a Seychelles where every life is valued, every cry for help is heard, and hope is always within reach.