Décisions du Conseil des Ministres 22 Mars 2019

Les membres du Cabinet ont pris note que le gouvernement va présenter le Mental Health Care (Amendment) Bill au parlement, qu’une campagne de vaccination contre l’infuenza va commencer dans une futur proche entre autres.

1. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Mental Health Care (Amendment) Bill into the National Assembly. The object of the Bill is to amend the Mental Health Care Act to enhance the legal framework for the proper functioning of mental health care.

2. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance would promulgate the Ombudsperson for Financial Services (sworn statement) Regulations. The Ombudsperson for Financial Services Act provides that the Ombudsperson shall not hear and determine a complaint under the Act unless the complainant has voluntarily made a sworn statement that he has waived his right to initiate civil proceedings before any Court in Mauritius in respect of the facts that form the subject matter of the complaint.

3. Cabinet has taken note that the anti-influenza vaccination exercise for 2019 would start shortly. Vaccines would be provided to elderly persons aged 60 and above, children with disabilities attending specialised schools and inmates of charitable institutions and private licensed homes. The vaccination exercise would also be carried out in Rodrigues and Agalega.

4. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius hosting, as Chair of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), the Second South-West Indian Ocean Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security on 18 and 19 June 2019 and the 22nd Plenary Session of the CGPCS on 20 June 2019. The Second Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security would be a major event to follow up and discuss the progress and implementation of the Roadmap on Maritime Security in the South-Western part of the Indian Ocean. Various dignitaries, including Ministers, high officials of continental and international organisations are expected to attend the Conference.

5. Cabinet has taken note that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, would organise a capacity building workshop on “Transforming Mauritius: Policies to Foster Industrialisation and Development” in Mauritius, on 11 and 12 April 2019. The Workshop would cover topics such as Structural Transformation and Industrial Policy, Industrial Policy in a Digital World, Industrial Policy in Open Economies and Regional Value Chains in SADC. Participants would have an opportunity to acquire knowledge about new challenges in industrial policy formulation. Some 70 participants from both the public and private sectors are expected to attend the Workshop.

6. Cabinet has taken note that Mauritius would host the Second Working Meeting of National Research Coordinators and Research Committee Members of the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SEACMEQ) from 08 to 12 April 2019. The Meeting which would be attended by some 42 delegates would:

(a) review the data collection instruments for SEACMEQ V Project; and

(b) build capacity of the national research teams in the development of data collection instruments for the Project.

7. Cabinet has taken note that the 3rd Meeting of the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) Compliance Committee and the 6th Meeting of Parties would be held in Mauritius from 27 to 29 June 2019 and from 1 to 5 July 2019, respectively. The SIOFA is a multilateral agreement adopted in July 2006 at the Food and Agriculture Organisation for the conservation and sustainable use of fishery resources in the waters beyond national jurisdiction in the Southern Indian Ocean region. Some 35 participants from the Member States would attend the 3rd SIOFA Compliance Committee, while 50 participants would attend the 6th Meeting of Parties.

8. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Tourism to Germany and France. In Germany, the Minister attended the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) 2019 which is a leading travel trade show. The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) participated in the ITB with more than 100 representatives from hoteliers, Destination Management Companies, and other key stakeholders of the tourism industry. The Minister of Tourism was also invited to attend the Berlin Economic Forum to deliver a keynote speech on Sustainable Tourism Investment in the Tourism Industry, the Euro news roundtable to debate about the expansion of infrastructure and the influence it has on promoting leisure and business tourism, and the award ceremony organised by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association.

In France, a meeting was organised with the Interface Tourism, the MTPA Public Relations Office in France and all major tourism and travel stakeholders serving the Mauritian destination, to discuss strategic actions for the French market and how to address challenges for 2019.

9. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms to Geneva where he attended the 65thSession Committee on the Economic, Cultural and Social Rights where Mauritius was reviewed. Cabinet has also taken note of the Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Economic, Cultural and Social Rights following the submission of the fifth periodic report of Mauritius under the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights. The Attorney General gave an overview of the various developments that have occurred in Mauritius, namely:

(a) the introduction of the National Minimum Wage and the Negative Income Tax Scheme;

(b) the extension of maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks;

(c) the provision of free tertiary education in public institutions; and

(d) the introduction of the Social Contract Scheme under the Marshall Plan against Poverty.

The Committee welcomed the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 25 February 2019 concerning the right of return of the Chagos islands to Mauritius and also requested clarifications on various issues.

The Concluding Observations of the Committee would be disseminated to all stakeholders, the civil society, the NGO’s and Ministries through the National Mechanisms for Reporting and Follow Up which would consider the ways and means to fulfill the recommendations made as far as possible.

10. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training to South Africa where he participated in the 45thAfrican Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) Governing Council Meeting for Ministers (GCMM) responsible for Labour/ Employment/Manpower issues in Anglophone Africa. The Programme consisted, among others, of a presentation on Violence and Harassment at Work by the Chief, Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch of the ILO and the launching of the Future of Work Global Commission’s Report by the President of the Republic of South Africa. During panel discussions, Mauritius was cited as one of the few countries where a Protection from Domestic Violence Act was in force and the legislation was instrumental in the prevention of violence and harassment at work. Mauritius was also cited with regard to the implementation of the National Minimum Wage.

In the margins of the Meeting, the Minister had meetings with the Minister of Labour of South Africa and the ILO Regional Director for Africa and discussions focused on the future of work, the Decent Work Country Programme and emerging issues in the labour market.