Download 12.06.05 WED - Ministry of Environment and Sustainable

Speech of
the Hon. Devanand Virahsawmy, GOSK, FCCA
Minister of
Environment & Sustainable Development
on the occasion of the
World Environment Day
Workshop on Green Economy
on
Tuesday 05 June 2012 at 09.30 hrs
La Canelle – Domaine Les Pailles
Mrs. Tegmo-Reddy, UN Resident Coordinator
Mr. Jhugroo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and SD
Mrs. Ng, Director, Department of Environment
Representatives from the public and the private sectors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me much pleasure to address you this morning at the opening of
this workshop on Green Economy which is being held in the context of
the World Environment Day 2012. This year’s theme, “Green Economy:
Does it include you?”, underscores the need for everyone to play his/her
part in keeping humankind's ecological footprint so as to leave a safe
and ecologically sound planet for our future generations.
The World Environment Day is celebrated every year on 5th June and it
provides an opportunity for governments, communities and people
around the world to reflect on the vital role that environment plays in our
daily lives. My Ministry has therefore deemed it fit to mark this important
event with the holding of this workshop on “Green Economy” which is
aimed
at
showcasing
the
economic
dimension
of
sustainable
development and which is also very much in line with the Maurice Ile
Durable concept.
Ladies and gentlemen
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines Green
Economy as one that results in improved human well-being and social
equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological
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damages. In its simplest expression, a green economy is one which is
low in carbon footprint, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
The Green Economy is a means of improving human livelihood while
taking into consideration the environmental impacts of development. It is
the most viable way of addressing the problem of unsustainable
lifestyles, both for the present and future generations. A paradigm shift
towards Green Economy normally begins at the individual level and then
scales up to the global level.
Green Economy also implies growth in income and employment driven
by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and
pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss
of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation.
It is worth noting that the world’s population stands at 7 billion and may
rise to more than 9 billion by 2050. This would mean greater pressure
on the already crowded cities, and on natural resources, as demand for
food, water and energy rises. In such circumstances, taking the path of
Green Economy would be an effective way to contain the pressure.
Ladies and Gentlemen
2012 is a special year in as much as world leaders will gather in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, later this month, to try to chart out the future of
sustainable development. This summit, dubbed as Rio+20, since the
first Earth Summit held 20 years back, will have two main themes: “A
green economy in the context of sustainable development” and “Poverty
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eradication
and
the
Institutional
Framework
of
Sustainable
Development.”
A few years ago, the idea of linking Green Economy to sustainable
development was a novel concept confined to development practitioners
and academics. Today the context has changed and Green Economy
has assumed more prominence and it is among the priority issues that
will be deliberated upon by policymakers at the RIO+20 UN Conference
on Sustainable Development.
Sustainability entails providing the opportunities to all by striking the right
balance among the social, economic and environmental dimensions of
development. Today, we have to rebut the myth that there is conflict
between economic and environmental concerns.
With smart policies
and the sound investments, countries can protect their environment,
grow their economies, generate decent jobs and accelerate social
progress. This is about greening the economy.
Ladies and gentlemen
The 5th of June is a day which is celebrated around the world in various
ways. We, at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
hold the view that it is an opportune time to sensitise the economic
operators on the various opportunities that the Green Economy can
provide to the business community and to the country at large. We are
convinced that this activity will help in moving more towards Maurice Ile
Durable with the contribution and commitment of all economic operators.
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After the conceptualization of the Maurice Ile Durable vision by the
Honourable Prime Minister, my ministry has established the necessary
framework for translating this vision into a clear cut 10-years strategy
and practical 3-years action plan on Energy, Education, Employment,
Environment and Equity (social justice).
To this end, a Green Paper was prepared in April 2011. Further to this, a
road map was adopted to implement the different stages of the MID
project following a nationwide consultative process. The output of the
series of workshops held to debate on the 5 thematic areas; Energy,
Education, Employment, Environment and Equity, is being used by a
team of consultants to prepare the MID framework.
The implementation of Sustainable Development in Mauritius is well
under way and a series of actions is being undertaken to show our
determination to make of MID concept a reality.
Examples of some projects are:
a)
The school waste segregation project where primary and
secondary school students have been sensitized to carry out
waste segregation. The different types of wastes, namely paper
and PET bottles are then sent for recycling.
b)
As part of the School Endemic Garden project, some 75 endemic
gardens have been set up in primary and secondary schools. This
project aims at providing all the primary and secondary schools of
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the island with an endemic garden to sensitise the youth of our
country on the richness of our native biodiversity.
c)
Composting units have been distributed to community centres in
Mauritius and Rodrigues to promote composting at community
level.
d)
Several climate change adaptation projects are being undertaken
under the Africa Adaptation Programme funded by the Japanese
Government.
e)
We have already proceeded with the introduction of diesel with 50
ppm sulfur content compared to diesel with 500ppm which has
been in use up to now.
Mauritius is the only country in Sub-
Saharan African region to introduce this measure. T his will go a
long way towards improving our air quality.
f)
With the collaboration of Mauritius Telecom, my ministry has
embarked on a national sensitization campaign for the collection
and recycling of used mobile phones and batteries. Early this year
a first consignment of such items have been shipped to France for
recycling.
g)
Promotion and distribution of medicinal plants to the community is
ongoing.
h)
The embellishment, landscaping and tree planting of public places
by my Ministry to improve the aesthetics and quality of life of
people.
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i)
The Eco-village project aims to raise awareness and change the
behaviour of villagers to move towards sustainable lifestyles and
support healthy human development. This project will provide the
enabling environment for the waste management, conservation of
energy, water and biodiversity.
Initially, this project will target ten villages, including Pointe aux
Piments, Panchavati, Vieux Grand Port, Vuillemin, La Gaulette, Le
Morne, Poudre D’Or, Clementia, Souillac, Riviere Cocos and Port
Sud Est in Rodrigues.
Ladies and gentlemen
The Maurice Ile Durable concept aims at making Mauritius a model in
the Indian Ocean and in the world. For this to happen, we need the
participation and collaboration of all stakeholders, including the
economic operators. We firmly believe that together we can succeed.
The ultimate objective is to make of sustainable development an integral
part of the everyday life of every citizen of this country.
To make the MID process more transparent and participative, I have the
pleasure to inform you that the website of MID has been redesigned to
make it more attractive, informative and user friendly. The new structure
provides improved visibility of MID projects and regrouped under one
umbrella the MID Commission, MID Fund and my Ministry. This website
is a first step towards a new branding of the MID and will enable better
communication with stakeholders and the public in general.
Ladies and gentlemen
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A video clip has prepared in English and French version for the RIO
Conference to
demonstrate the progress
of
our nation since
independence in 1968 up to the Maurice Ile Durable initiative. A creole
version has also been produced for our citizens. The video clip focuses
on the 5Es with particular attention to the social dimension of the
Maurice Ile Durable concept.
The video clip will be presented to you at the end of the official function.
Ladies and gentlemen
Coming to the World Environment Day 2012 I am pleased to note that
we are organizing a series of activities across the island together with
the civil society, NGOs and various other stakeholders. These include
embellishment works, tree planting, cleaning campaigns, promotion of
composting and organic farming, awareness on importance of water and
use of rain water harvesting, sensitization programmes through talks,
seminar, exhibition and film shows to promote sustainable living.
In addition, my Ministry will organize a nature discovery tour at the Blue
Bay Marine Park for the general public from 16 to 17 June 2012. A
permanent exhibition will be organized on climate change at the Rajiv
Gandhi Science Centre in mid-June.
This exhibition aims at raising
awareness and enhancing knowledge on the impacts of climate change
for the benefits of students and the public at large.
Ladies and gentlemen
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I am sure that this workshop on Green Economy will empower the
Economic Operators to move away from the traditional way of doing
business towards a more environment friendly pathway.
I take this opportunity to appeal to you to be stewards of sustainable
development and to help Government in this endeavour to make of our
country a sustainable island.
I thank you for your attention and wish you fruitful deliberations.
I now have the pleasure to declare the workshop open.
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