GIS Newsletter. National Youth Policy Achieving youth empowerment through nine strategic areas

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1 E-version In This Issue National Youth Policy Achieving youth empowerment through nine strategic areas National Youth Policy EC-ESA:Mauritius signs interim EPA MoU with India for e-procurement solution A national body to combat cybercrime Nearly Internet subscribers in 2008 Excellence Award goes to Civil Aviation Authority Government Information Service Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis infserv@intnet.mu Website: Youth must demonstrate more responsibilities The National Youth Policy , an important tool in valorising and addressing the needs of young people in the Republic of Mauritius, was l a u n c h e d by the Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, on International Youth Day on 12. The primary aim of the Youth Policy is to achieve overall youth empowerment The Document identifies nine strategic areas through which this objective is to be attained. They are, education, training and youth participation in decision making; youth health issues, family life education and counselling; substance abuse prevention and combating HIV and AIDS; youth empowerment, enterprise initiatives and agriculture; information and access to ICT; sports, leisure and literary activities; promotion of artistic, cultural and historical values; civics, citizenship, spirituality and human values; and promotion of the protection and preservation of the environment. The policy is meant to support the youth and inspire them to get actively involved in, and committed to, the process of national development, with emphasis on principles and values enshrined in the constitution of Mauritius. It is also geared towards providing equal opportunities in all fields to different target groups in the age range of 14 to 29 years as well as equal access to information on strategic areas. The targeted groups are the in school youth, out school youth, employed youth, 1

2 unemployed youth, less privileged youth, youth at risk and less able youth. The need to adopt national youth policies that are cross-sectoral and comprehensive being stressed in various international documents, Mauritius has come forward with a policy that shows the commitment of the nation towards the overall well-being of young men and women as well as their empowerment on all fronts. Addressing the youth at the official launching, the Prime Minister underscored the need for Mauritius to ensure that all young men and women are given meaningful opportunities to reach their full potential both as individuals and as active participants in society, and the full commitment of government to these objectives. He highlighted that as the future of the country, the youth are called upon to demonstrate more responsibilities as active contributors to the making of a dynamic society especially in the wake of the daunting challenges of modernisation, and competition on the international front. Dr Ramgoolam emphasised that education is a key element for the development of the country and tops the priority list for government action, as his government aspires to make Mauritius a Centre of Excellence for Education in the region According to him, education is a privileged means to inculcate values and principles that would help the younger generation in decision making through life The first National Youth Policy was launched in year In view of the changing needs and aspirations of young people, the government has deemed important to give a new orientation to the existing policies regarding the youth. Thus, the National Youth Policy aims at identifying existing gaps and steering the youth in the right direction while ensuring they are given equal opportunities to develop their potential with respect to the social, economic and cultural development of the country. At end 2008, the youth population aged 15 to 29 years for the Republic of Mauritius was estimated at around , among whom were males and females. In the same year, there were 537 youth clubs spread across the island of Mauritius, and Rodrigues had 72 such clubs. Trade and Globalisation Mauritius signs ESA-EC Interim Economic Partnership Agreement Mauritius and three other countries, namely Madagascar, Seychelles and Zimbabwe, signed the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the Eastern and Southern African States and the European Community (ESA-EC) on August 29, 2009 at the Grand Baie International Conference Centre The deal offers the ESA signatory countries immediate and full access to EU markets (with a transition period until 2015 for rice and sugar), together with improved rules of origin. ESA countries will open their markets gradually over the next 15 years, with a number of important exceptions reflecting their development needs. The ceremony was attended by Baroness Catherine Ashton, EU Commissioner for Trade; Mr. Sindiso Ngwenya, Secretary General of COMESA; Mr. Felix Mutati, Chair of the ESA; and Mr. Gunnar Wieslander, Deputy Minister of Trade of Sweden and representative of the EU Presidency, amongst other eminent personalities. In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr Arvin Boolell, said that the signing of the agreement is highly symbolic. He pointed out that the Mauritius Agreement heralds a new form of the partnership that started some thirty years ago with the first ACP- EU Convention of Lomé signed in Through the Economic Partnership Agreement we want to create a legally secure, predictable and reliable environment that is conducive to attracting investments and which in turn will help create jobs, spark new industries and drive broad based inclusive growth, the Minister explained. In June 2000, 15 European Union (EU) countries and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of 77 developing nations signed a new 20-year trade and economic cooperation agreement in Cotonou. The new agreement moved away from the traditional, non-preferential trade relationship between ACP and the EU towards one based on reciprocity. In anticipation of the phase-out of preferences and the 2

3 adoption of new trade liberalizing rules, Cotonou committed the EU and ACP to begin negotiations on reciprocal Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). Mauritius initialled the Interim EPA in December It covers market access compatible with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, fisheries and development. It also provides, since January 2008, duty and quota free access on all products exported to the EU, with the exception of sugar and rice which are subject to longer transition periods. Consequently, all exports from the countries that signed the interim EPA have been benefiting from duty and quota free access to the EU since January These countries will now liberalise their markets to EU imports over the next 15 years, gradually removing tariffs on 80% to 98% of imports from the EU depending on the country. Among the products excluded from liberalisation are sensitive agricultural and manufactured products such as milk, meat, vegetables, textiles, footwear and clothing. In 2008 total ESA exports to the EU were approximately Euros 3.2bn, or 0.20% of all EU imports, comprising mainly of textiles and clothing, sugar, fish products and copper. Last year, EU exports to the ESA Group consisted mostly of mechanical and electrical machinery and vehicles, and totalled Euros 4.3bn. The Interim Agreement will remain in force until a full EPA, currently under negotiation, enters into force. The Interim Agreement enters into force without any time limit and is not linked to the completion of a full EPA. The remaining ACP countries have been provided with either the Everything but Arms Initiative, or the Standard Generalised System of Prefrences for Non-LDCs. From 1 January 2008, the regime applicable to trade between EU and those ESA countries that have not initialled the EPA is the Generalised System of Preferences. However, since they are all LDCs, they will be subject to the Everything But Arms (EBA) Initiative, which carries strict rules of origin. The Interim EPA provides for additional market access on preferential terms and more flexible rules of origin for a number of products of key interest, as well as cooperation in the fields of tourism, environment and fisheries and for the development of the private sector and investment, Mauritius is expected to liberalize almost 95% of its trade with the EC within the next 15 years after a moratorium of five years as specified in the tariff schedule, exception being made for a number of products which are considered as sensitive, including inter alia, fats, edible preparations and beverages and iron & steel. Concerning sugar, in the Interim Agreement Mauritius will maintain its present quota. An additional quota of tonnes of sugar was offered by the EC to the ESA signatory States. As from October 2009, Mauritius can export any type of sugar. At present all our sugar is exported in the form of raw sugar for refining. Since the price of special sugar is higher than that of raw sugar, this would bring additional export earnings to the country. Minister Boolell signs agreement on behalf of Mauritius 3

4 Bilateral Cooperation Mauritius signs MoU with India on e-procurement solution A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation for the sharing of the e-procurement solution implemented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh was signed by the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Mr. A. Dulull, and the Minister of Information Technology, Communications, Youth Services and Sports of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, in the presence of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, late Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on August 13 in Hyderabad, India.. The MoU sets forth the terms for the sharing with the Government of Mauritius, of the e-procurement solution developed and implemented by the Department of Information Technology & Communications of the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the conduct of public procurement. Those terms include the customization of the e-procurement solution in view of its adaptation for use in the Mauritian context, the finalization of the business modalities for the use of the e-procurement system including the transaction fees and revenue sharing, as well as the setting up of communication channels for exchange of information. The MoU also provides for collaboration on best practices in the field of e-procurement and for capacity building for staff who will be involved in the implementation of the project in Mauritius. According to the MoU, a joint Working Group, comprising representatives of both parties, will be set up to implement the scope of co-operation as mentioned in the agreed and signed document. The signing of the MoU between India and Mauritius follows the session of the Indo-Mauritian Joint Commission held in December 2007 where it was agreed that the Procurement Policy Office of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Empowerment of Mauritius would seek the support of the Government of Andhra Pradesh in adopting Information Technology for conducting the public procurement in Mauritius. The implementation of the e-procurement solution by Mauritius is expected to improve the process efficiency, reduce costs, improve transparency and build trust in our procurement system. Youth and Society Youth Excellence Award 2009 launched The Youth Excellence Award 2009 was launched on August 19 by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The objective of the award is to give young people in the age range of 14 to 29 years, the opportunity to develop their ideas in social, economic, cultural, artistic and other youth-related fields in a project format. In this respect, youth enrolling for the competition will work in groups not exceeding seven members and present projects focusing on issues related to the national or local context. Such projects may pertain to any one of the following five areas of interests: Artistic Pursuit, Entrepreneurship and Initiatives for Employment Creation, Preservation/Protection of the Environment, Youth Leadership and Community Work and Youth and Family Life. The Youth Excellence Award aims at rewarding outstanding projects which demonstrate a sense of initiative and a search for excellence by young people. Projects should also be realistic and original and geared towards the empowerment of young people and will eventually serve as a model to inspire and motivate other youth. A cash prize of Rs together with a souvenir trophy will be handed over to the winner of each area of interest and every participant will receive a certificate of participation. 4

5 Cybersecurity A national body to combat cybercrime National Body to A tackle cybercrime and monitor the unlawful use of technology at national level will be set up soon. This was announced on 31 by the Minister of Information and Communication technology, Mr A. Dulull, at the opening ceremony of a one-day workshop on Critical Information Infrastructure Protection at Pailles. The setting up of such an institution has been deemed necessary following work sessions grouping representatives of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the National Computer Board, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, the Police and the Prime Minister s Office as well as the Data Protection Commissioner. In his speech at the opening of the workshop, Minister Dulull highlighted Government s commitment in enhancing cybersecurity. He also stressed the importance of secure and safe use of information and communication technologies as an essential element for the continued growth and development of the economy Mauritius to remain safe BPO destination especially as regards the positioning of Mauritius as a safe destination for BPO and IT-enabled services. The workshop on Critical Information Infrastructure Protection was organized by the Mauritius Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-MU) which has been entrusted with the responsibility of the elaboration of the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Framework. Critical infrastructures refer to key systems, networks, processes and services that are essential for the effective functioning of society and the economy. They include energy facilities, water supply systems, transportation, telecommunications, banking and finance, health care as well as government institutions. The workshop, which brought together owners and operators of critical information infrastructures in Mauritius, aimed at the elaboration of a roadmap for the implementation of critical information infrastructure protection in the country. Discussions focused on the various components that would make up the framework for critical information infrastructure at national level, and on recommendations and amendments required in the legal framework to safeguard cybersecurity. 5

6 ICT Statistics Nearly Internet subscribers in 2008 The number of internet subscribers increased to in 2008 from in These consisted of and subscribers for mobile and fixed internet services respectively. The overall increase in internet subscribers for 2008 has been 20.2% compared to the figures of The number of internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants was 15.7 in 2008 compared to 13.1 in Broadband connection subscribers represented 78.9% of total internet subscribers in Internet service providers numbered nine in 2008, from eight in The two most common modes of internet access by households were dial-up and ADSL. In 2008, the places of use of internet were: home (65.8%), school/educational institution (20.8%), workplace (31.3%), cybercafé/ other commercial facility (10.0%), free public facility (1.7%) and another persons s place (5.1%). Internet was mainly used for /chat (71.6%), search for information from Government (29.2%), search for information from other sources (82.5%) and entertainment (54.3%). Over a million mobile telephone subscribers There were two fixed telephone service providers and three mobile cellular service providers at the end of 2008, just like in The number of fixed telephone lines reached in 2008, from in This low growth of 0.6% in fixed telephone lines is attributed to the availability of the mobile cellular prepaid service. Teledensity, that is, the number of fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants, was the same in 2008 and 2007, at There were mobile cellular subscribers in 2008 against in Cellular prepaid subscribers increased by 1.3% to from the previous year. A larger percentage of increase, 11% was registered in the number of postpaid subscribers which rose from in 2007 to in The Internet - A major tool at the workplace 6

7 Quality Service Public Service Excellence Award goes to Civil Aviation Department The Civil Aviation Department was proclaimed grand winner of the Public Service Excellence Award (PSEA) 2008 at the awards ceremony held on 29 July in Port Louis. Out of the twenty-eight public service organisations which participated in the third edition of the competition, the Civil Aviation Department excelled in all judging criteria. Other winners were Droopnath Ramphul State College for being customer focused, the Neurosurgery Department at the Victoria Hospital for its effectiveness and efficiency, the Mauritius Prisons Service for leadership and team spirit and the Registrar General s Department for innovation and improvement. Special mention awards were dedicated to three organisations for delivering timely, cost effective and quality service to the public. They were namely, the Neonatal ICU of the SSRN Hospital, the Energy Services Division, and the Biochemistry Public organisations rewarded for quality service Department at the Victoria Hospital. The theme for the 2008 edition was: Visionary and Ethical Leadership: Key to Organisational Excellence. This concept is considered critical to public service officers who view reforms as challenges, drive their teams to achieve set objectives while generating innovative practices to deliver efficiently. The PSEA, launched in October 2006 by the Ministry of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, has now become an annual feature serving as a motivational tool contributing towards improving the level of public service delivery by encouraging organisations to adopt a customer focused approach, a result centered strategy and operate within an overall total quality management framework. The main objective of the competition is to recognise excellence and innovation and highlight organisations importance in developing a quality public service. In addition, the competition motivates officers to adopt ways to meet the daily challenges and promotes a performance oriented, responsive and accountable public service. 7

8 Tourism Total receipts expected to reach Rs million in 2009 Total tourism receipts for 2009 are expected to reach Rs million compared to Rs million in Decreased tourist arrivals brought a drop in receipts for the first semester of 2009 which totalled Rs million, that is, 17.7% less than the sum of Rs million for the same period in Total receipts for years 2007 and 2006 had been Rs million and Rs million respectively. Road Transport vehicles registered at June 2009 Total tourist arrivals for 2009 are actually expected to reach , compared to in 2008, in 2007 and in There was a drop of 9.3 per cent in the number of tourist arrivals from January to June 2009, compared to the same period in tourists visited Mauritius in the first semester of 2009 while the figure had amounted to in same period of Arrivals from Europe, though representing 67.4 % of total arrivals, dropped by 6.9% in January to June 2009 compared to the same period last year. In spite of the overall drop in European tourists, the number of tourists from France, our leading market with 31.6% of arrivals, registered an increase of 2.0% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. Reunion Island and Canada are the only two other countries having registered an increased number of arrivals with +8.0% and + 11% respectively. The number of vehicles registered in Mauritius increased by 7 284, that is 2.1%, from in December 2008 to reach at the end of June At end June 2009, the fleet comprised cars and dual purpose vehicles and motor cycles and autocyles, representing 44.6% and 42.0% of the fleet respectively vans, lorries and trucks, buses and other vehicles represented the remaining 13.4% of the fleet. The fleet of vehicles has increased by over 100,000 over the past nine years. In fact the number of vehicles in 2009 was , compared to the registered at June this year. Tourism remains one of the main economic pillars 8