Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
Speech for Hon. Minister Aurore Perraud
COMESA Social Charter – Signature Ceremony
Date:
Tuesday 21 April 2015
Time:
14:30 hrs
Venue:
Lunch Room National Assembly
Mr Sookun, Chief of Protocol
Mrs Dwarka-Canabady, Ag. Secretary for Foreign Affairs
Mrs Capery, Permanent Secretary of my Ministry
Mrs Hamusonde, Director for Gender and Social Affairs
Ms Nyagweta, Legal Officer
Mr Kambatwile, Public Relations Officer
Representatives from Ministries
Officers of my Ministry
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
All Protocols observed
A very Good Afternoon to you.
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Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
I am honoured to welcome you all to the signature ceremony of
the COMESA Social Charter.
We are pleased to have among us delegates from the COMESA
Secretariat.
I hope that you have had a nice trip to Mauritius.
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Mauritius, I seize
this opportunity to thank you for being here with us for this event
which we have long been waiting for.
Although the former Government gave its approval for the
signature of the Charter, we could not proceed with it because of
the General Elections last year.
But, on 17 April 2015, I was pleased to be given authorization to
sign the COMESA Social Charter on behalf of the new
Government of the Republic of Mauritius.
Allow me to give you a brief overview of the COMESA Social
Charter which was developed by the COMESA Secretariat.
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Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
The aim of the Charter is to accelerate economic growth, social
progress and cultural development in the region as well as to
strengthen policies which improve, broaden and ensure the
participation of women, as equal partners to men, in all spheres of
political, economic, social and cultural life.
The COMESA Social Charter is in line with the COMESA Treaty
Article 143 para. (2) which stipulates that “the Council shall adopt
a Social Charter, programmes and regulations, as the case may
be, on better implementation of co-operation in Social and
Cultural Affairs”. It therefore calls upon Member States to put in
place measures to ensure the promotion of close co-operation
amongst them in the social and cultural fields.
The strategic pillars of the Charter cover the following areas:
(a)
Employment and Working Conditions
(b)
Labour Law
(c)
Social Protection
(d)
Human Resource Development and Youth Mobilization
(e)
Wellbeing of the Child
(f)
Freedom of Association
(g)
Community Development
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Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
(h)
Education Training and Skills Development
(i)
Health Care
(j)
Sustainable
Development
and
Protection
of
the
Environment
(k)
Cultural and Sporting issues
(l)
Sustainable Development and
(m) Elimination of Harmful Social and Cultural Practices.
After a series of consultations, which started in 2009, and were
carried out in a number of African States, the COMESA Social
Charter was adopted in February 2014 at the Thirty Second
Meeting of the Council of Ministers held in Kinshasa, Democratic
Republic of Congo.
We have invited representatives from various Ministries today
given that the pillars of the COMESA Social Charter cover the
following main areas: Education; Health; Peace and Security;
Environment; Culture; Economic Opportunities; Social Justice and
Human Rights.
As gender is a wide-ranging area which cuts across ministries
and government departments, it is important that all of you take
cognizance of the Charter and its recommended actions to enable
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Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
you to implement the provisions mentioned therein and submit
relevant reports and inputs when we will need to report upon to
the COMESA Secretariat.
Of course, my Ministry, as the National Gender Machinery, has
the responsibility to ensure that all Ministries adopt a gender
perspective whilst formulating their policies and programmes.
I am convinced that after signing the Charter, we will be in a
better position to work together more closely in achieving the
common goals of the COMESA.
More specifically, we hope it will help us in ensuring the
participation of women in all spheres of development.
I would like at this point in time to request the Gender Division to
consider funding the mission of 1 to 2 experts this year to
Mauritius in order to facilitate a capacity building programme on
the Social Charter, which should include a better understanding of
its provisions and how to best implement them.
My Ministry will support this initiative and will provide all the
requisite logistical arrangements for the training.
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Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
On this note, I thank you for your attention.
Hon (Mrs) Marie-Aurore Marie-Joyce Perraud
Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare
Lunch Room, National Assembly
Port Louis
Republic of Mauritius
Tuesday 21 April 2015
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