Décision du Conseil des Ministres du 30 Août 2019

Les membres du Cabinet ont pris note de la première session de travail du Mauritius-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission, des amendements faits au ourism Authority (Pleasure Craft Licence Fees) Regulations 2007 and the Tourism Authority (Tourist Enterprise Licence Fees and Operating Fees) Regulations 2015 entre autres.

1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the First Session of the Mauritius-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) which was held in Mauritius recently. The Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) between the State Trading Corporation and the Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos of Mozambique was signed during the JPCC. The JPCC considered various Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding on training, arts and culture, fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zones of both countries and recruitment of Mozambican manpower and Mauritian professionals. Various sectoral areas of cooperation were also discussed, namely:

(a) tourism and Protection of environment;

(b) air connectivity;

(d) emerging technologies; and

(e) information exchange between law enforcement agencies to combat drug-trafficking.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms advising the President of the Republic to make the Civil Establishment Order 2019 and the Civil Establishment (Rodrigues Regional Assembly) Order 2019 that establish offices in the public service, determine the number of persons who may be appointed to such offices, and determine the emoluments to be attached to such offices.

3. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Convention de Coopération between the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life and the Aix-Marseille Université for the training of up to six Mauritian doctors in the field of Nephrology in the context of a three-year postgraduate programme. The successful completion of the three-year programme would lead to the award of a Diplome d’Etudes Supérieures Universitaires (DESU) in Nephrology by the Aix-Marseille Université.

4. Cabinet has agreed to the amendments being brought to the Tourism Authority (Pleasure Craft Licence Fees) Regulations 2007 and the Tourism Authority (Tourist Enterprise Licence Fees and Operating Fees) Regulations 2015 to make provision for the payment of licence fees on an instalment basis for a period of three, six, nine and twelve months.

5. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Fisheries and Marine Resources (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2019 in respect of Fish Farming Zones.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the Financial Reporting Council and the Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants jointly signing the Mutual Recognition Agreement between the Competent Authorities of Professional Accountants and Auditors to, inter alia, facilitate the movement of Professional Accountants and Auditors among countries forming part of the Accelerated Programme for Economic Integration (APEI), namely, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, Mauritius and Zambia and establish mutual recognition of Professional Accountants’ and Auditors’ qualifications.

7. Cabinet has taken note that the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service (Fire Safety and Fire Certificate) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 would be promulgated. The Regulations provide that a person who intends to construct a building to which the public has access, may request the Chief Fire Officer to validate the building layout or the construction plan, as the case may be, for conformity with fire safety requirements. The profile of premises requiring a fire certificate has also been defined. The Regulations would come into operation on 15 September 2019.

8. Cabinet has agreed to the proposal of UNESCO to support Mauritius for the preparation of the Quadrennial Periodic Report required under the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. As a party to the Convention, Mauritius has to submit its Quadrennial Periodic Report every four years on measures taken to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions within its territory and at international level.

9. Cabinet has agreed to the submission of the National Review Report of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) for Mauritius to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in New York and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa. The international community was called upon to implement policies around 12 key areas of concern. These 12 areas of concern have been clustered in six themes in the Report, namely:

(a) Inclusive Development, Shared Prosperity and Decent Work;

(b) Poverty Eradication, Social Protection and Social Services;

(d) Participation, Accountability and Gender-Responsive Institutions;

(e) Peaceful and Inclusive Societies; and

(f) Environmental Conservation, Protection and Rehabilitation.

10. Cabinet has agreed to the submission of the 9th and 10th Combined Report of the Republic of Mauritius on the Implementation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Report contains general information on the demographic, economic, social and cultural characteristics of the country as well as its constitutional, political and legal structure and also focuses on the progress made in the implementation of the provisions of the Charter to enhance the promotion, protection and realisation of the human rights of the people.

The salient points of the Report are the new developments in the human rights framework since the last review in 2017, namely the creation of the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, the setting up of the National Mechanism Reporting and Follow Up, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the various human rights policies for the promotion and protection of Human Rights over the period 2017 to date.

11. Cabinet has taken note that the International Trade Centre, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade would organise two half-day workshops on the SheTrades Outlook and the African Trade Observatory on 12 September 2019. The SheTrades Outlook is an innovative policy tool on trade and women’s economic empowerment to assist stakeholders to assess, monitor, and improve how the institutional ecosystem supports women’s participation in international trade. The African Trade Observatory would serve as the main repository of qualitative and quantitative African trade data and increase transparency about continental trade opportunities. It would also monitor and evaluate the implementation process and impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area which has been recently launched. Some 40 participants from both the public and private sectors are expected to attend the workshops.

12. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade to New York where he presented the first Voluntary National Review Report of Mauritius to the High-Level Political Forum of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. During his intervention, the Minister gave an overview of the achievements of Mauritius under various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including the Marshall Plan Against Poverty, the negative income tax, the minimum wage, the new nine-year education system, the light rail transport system and the different measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. The Report was well received by the wider UN membership and representatives of various countries congratulated Mauritius on the various initiatives taken. The Minister also had a working session with the team of the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology regarding the establishment of the United Nations Technology Innovation Laboratory in Mauritius.

13. Cabinet has taken note that the Interregional Training Course on the Use of Isotopic Techniques for Anthropometry, Body Composition and Physical Assessments would be held in Mauritius from 4 to 8 November 2019. The programme is run under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Cooperation Project “Applying Nuclear Science and Technology in Small Island Developing States in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals and the SAMOA Pathway.” The training course is meant for capacity building in stable isotope techniques for monitoring obesity, undernutrition and related health risks with a view to increasing the application of nuclear science and technology. Five local and some foreign participants would attend the training course.
14. Cabinet has taken note of the activities that would be organised to mark the Clean Up the World campaign 2019, celebrated internationally every year during the third weekend of September. The Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Environment and Sustainable Development (Environment and Sustainable Development Division) in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, would organise a series of activities including:

(a) clean up and embellishment of various public places;

(b) clean up of at least one site in each local authority;

(d) involvement of youth community in clean up campaigns; and

(e) awareness-raising workshops for women on the importance of a clean environment and response to disasters.

The general public would be encouraged and sensitised to participate in the clean up activities.

15. Cabinet has taken note of the activities that would be organised by the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Environment and Sustainable Development (Environment and Sustainable Development Division) to mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, celebrated on 16 September each year. The theme for this year is “32 Years and Healing”. The activities will include the following:

(a) the Launching Ceremony on 16 September 2019 at Domaine IZI, Bambous;

(b) training of technicians on Maintenance of Domestic Refrigerators using R600a Refrigerant;

(c) training of Customs Officers on Tracking the Illegal Trade of Substances which are controlled under the Montreal Protocol;

(d) distribution of Fact Sheets on the Kigali Amendment; and

(e) a sensitisation campaign for the public on Ozone Layer Protection through radio and regional talks.