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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 2 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 3 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. 4 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 5 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. 6 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 7 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 8 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. 9