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Highlights Of Cabinet Meeting – Friday 17 November 2023

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The Cabinet met today under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister,  the Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth. The highlights of the deliberations are as follows:

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the Institutions Agréées (Amendment) Regulations 2023 which provide for the designation of MauFactoring Ltd as an “Institution Agréée”, would be promulgated.
  2. Cabinet has taken note that the Economic Development Board (National Contact Point) Regulations 2023, would be promulgated to provide for the establishment of the National Contact Point under the Economic Development Board to promote Responsible Business Conduct and handling cases as a non-judicial grievance mechanism.
  3. Cabinet has taken note that the Prime Minister participated virtually in the Leader’s Session of the Second Voice of Global South Summit hosted by India on the theme “Together, for everyone’s Growth with everyone’s Trust” on 17 November 2023. He highlighted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which contribute less than one percent to Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, are the most heavily impacted countries by the scourge of climate change. He added that climate finance, which was amongst others, designed to reduce vulnerability while increasing resilience, failed to accommodate the unique needs of SIDS.

The Prime Minister commended the Indian Presidency of the G20 for its laudable effort towards recognising, for the first time, the vulnerabilities of SIDS in the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ declaration. He also informed that Mauritius supports the declaration made by African countries at the Inaugural Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September 2023, calling for the implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund.

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change participated virtually in the meeting of the Environment Ministers Session of the Second Voice of Global South Summit on the theme “Sustainable Solutions for Climate Resilience and Climate Finance” on 17 November During his intervention, the Minister stressed, among others, on the challenges being faced by SIDS and the actions being taken by Government to better access Climate Finance.

5. Cabinet has taken note that Mauritius has been elected to serve as a Member of the Executive Board of the UNESCO for the term 2023 to 2027 following elections held on 15 November 2023 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. With 168 votes in its favour out of 178, Mauritius obtained the highest number of votes.

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Mr Mohammad Irfan Abdool Rahman, GOSK, Electoral Commissioner, during the 19th International Electoral Affairs Symposium and International Awards Ceremony hosted by the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) in partnership with the Portuguese National Electoral Commission in Lisbon.

The ICPS is a research institution of the United Nations Public Administration Network, and also works in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the Association of European Election Officials. The Lifetime Achievement Award is conferred upon people for their remarkable achievements, outstanding work, deep commitment or great sacrifice in the fields of elections and democracy.

  1. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of the Letter for Endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration, an inter-governmental political commitment to protect students, teachers and all learning institutions from the worst effects of armed conflict and thus ensure, inter alia, the non- cessation of education.

The Declaration was developed through State consultations led by Norway and Argentina in Geneva, in the wake of the recognition of the long-term repercussions and lasting impact – physical, social as well as psychological – of armed conflict on education. To date, the Declaration has been endorsed by 118 countries.

  1. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius joining the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, a multi- stakeholder partnership which brings together actors working on marine litter and plastic pollution prevention and The key objectives of the Partnership include, inter alia:
    • cooperation among governments, intergovernmental organisations, regional bodies, the private sector, academia and the civil society, on information sharing and improved knowledge management, the development and/or dissemination of new environmentally sound technologies, capacity building, and preventive and risk-based recovery actions, amongst others;
    • awareness raising on marine litter and plastic pollution;
    • prevention and reduction of plastic waste from source to sea and throughout the life cycle of plastics through improved design, application of the Reduction, Reuse and Recycling principle, promotion of closed-loop systems and more circular production cycles;
    • support for the implementation of resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and of the United Nations Environment Assembly on or relevant to marine litter, plastic pollution and micro-plastics; and
    • collaboration towards the implementation of legal, policy, institutional and other relevant frameworks that may contribute to the success of international initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing marine litter, plastic pollution and micro-plastics.
  2. Cabinet has taken note of the status of road capital projects being implemented by the Road Development Authority. Some 18 projects were presently being implemented and comprise, inter alia, the A1-M1 Link Road project, the Construction of Wooton Flyover and the Construction of Bois Cheri Bypass project.
  3. Cabinet has taken note of the implementation of the yearly White Grub Protocol in the Republic of Mauritius and Reunion   Island   for   the   period   01   November   2023   to 15 January 2024. The White Grub Protocol was signed between the French and Mauritian Authorities in 1990. During the implementation of this Protocol, control is exercised on all movement of planes and ship vessels between Mauritius and Reunion Island. The protocol is time-bound, that is, between 18 30 hours and 20 30 hours whereby flights are not allowed to land and ships are not allowed to berth due to the risk of adult insects being accidentally introduced in each territory.
  4. Cabinet has taken  note   of   the   holding   of   dog   mass   sterilisation   campaigns in 11 local authorities during the period November 2023 to September 2024 by the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security and the Mauritius Society for Animal Welfare. The purpose of the campaigns would be to increase awareness of the public on the welfare of dogs and on the importance of their sterilisation.
  5. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning and Minister of Tourism in the 44th edition of the World Travel Market in London, United Kingdom. The theme of the event was “Transforming Tourism through Youth and Education”. It provided a platform to share best practices on unlocking the full potential of travel and tourism as a catalyst for positive change by investing in education and equipping young people with the required skills to thrive in the sector.

In the sidelines of the Summit, the Deputy Prime Minister had meetings with several Ministers of Tourism, including that of the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Malta. He also had meetings with major UK-based Travel and Tour Operators which market the Mauritian destination, with a view to obtaining feedback on the UK market, understanding their concerns and further collaborate to boost the market.

Discussions were also held with the Director of Network and Alliances, British Airways, the Head of Sales of Vistara, the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Vice President Commercial Affairs of Saudia.

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management in the first Africa-Saudi Summit in Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh Declaration was adopted during the Summit with the aim of further developing relations and cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and African nations and providing strategic partnership.

In the margins of the Summit, the Vice-Prime Minister met with His Royal Highness Mohammed Bin Salman Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as other members of the Saudi Royal Family and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Minister of Agro- Industry and Food Security in the World Food India 2023 in New Delhi. The Conference and exhibition depicted the immense potential for growth in terms of production, consumption, exports and value addition. The main thematic sessions of the Conference were as follows:
    • Financial inclusion – Government schemes, initiatives for financial empowerment;
    • Transforming Food Production – Innovation in Machinery and Technology for Enhanced Efficiency and Operations; and
    • Leveraging Agri ecosystem stakeholders for promotion of the food processing sector.

In the margins of the Conference, the Minister had meetings with the Minister of Food Processing Industries of India and Senior Officials of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.

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