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Review
of Barbados Programme of Action by civil society in Mauritius
The United
Nations meeting scheduled to be held in Mauritius in 2004 to review
the progress made by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in
the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action, offers
a valuable opportunity for the civil society stakeholders of Mauritius
to contribute by reviewing the implementation of national policy,
programmes and projects, and to establish a linkage with the regional
agenda of the Indian Ocean SIDS.
Small Islands
Voice seeks to develop a civil society perspective towards the
review. The Centre for Documentation, Research and Training on
the South West Indian Ocean (CEDREFI), a research-oriented non-governmental
organisation (NGO), actively involved in people-centred development
and regional cooperation issues in the Indian Ocean region, will
lead this civil society consultation process.
A two-day
(weekend) residential workshop was held at Calodyne sur Mer, Grand
Gaube, Mauritius from 3-5th October 2003. NGOs that are actively
involved in sustainable development issues and major groups such
as trade unions, women's group, youth movement, fishermen associations,
small planters association, civics and community based organisations
were invited. Representatives of Government, private sector and
the Indian Ocean Commission were also asked to share their perspective.
Civil society representatives from Rodriques, Maldives, Reunion
and Comoros also attended.
Since it was
unrealistic to try to review all the chapters of the Barbados
Programme of Action in such a short period of time, key issues
were selected. These included climate change and sea level rise,
sustainable tourism and integrated coastal zone management, trade
issues and sustainable development, regional integration and the
issue of vulnerability of Indian Ocean SIDS. The workshop resulted
in the Calodyne
sur Mer Declaration. A full
report has been prepared; the workshop was also reported in
the press in Le Mauricien and
Business Magazine Ltd. The workshop
is seen as the first phase of a preparatory process leading to
the international review of the Barbados Programme of Action.
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