First Preparatory Committee of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development
Discussion on ‘Green Economy in the context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication’
Intervention by Mrs Djaheezah Subratty (Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development)
United Nations, 18 May 2010
Thank you Mr Co-Chair,
First, Mauritius wishes to associate itself with the statements made on behalf of the G77&China
and AOSIS. We highly value the varied opinions we have heard since this morning as a
constructive means of moving forward on a common agenda.
We fully embrace the idea highlighted by many countries that countries need policy space to
design nationally appropriate policy options and initiatives. However, in this ever globalizing
world, enhanced multilateral cooperation in this regard would catalyse the much required shift
towards a philosophy which would revolve around ‘development’ rather than only on ‘growth’.
We need to fully involve all non-state actors, at national and international levels and in particular
the private sector, in the development of the post-Rio 2012 landscape and its implementation.
We wish to share with you the approach adopted by Mauritius from the economic, social and
environmental perspectives. Since 2007, Mauritius has embarked on the concept of ‘Maurice Ile
Durable’, ‘Mauritius Sustainable Island’, as an overall national framework supporting
sustainable development. The multiple crises which have affected us over the past years have
reinforced our commitment to strengthen our resilience to internal and external vulnerabilities as
well as further improve the well-being of Mauritians.
One of the cornerstones of this vision is what we term ‘democratisation of the economy’, so that
Mauritians at all levels benefit, and which builds upon 3 priority areas of intervention, namely :
• First, shaping recovery to accelerate job creation and a culture of entrepreneurship
• Second, consolidating social progress to embed inclusive growth
• T
hird, sustaining Green Mauritius to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change in
all sectors
Mr Co-Chair,
Mauritius as a SIDS believes that a green economy goes beyond a low-carbon economy, and
embraces an ecosystem approach which values nature as an asset which we should cherish. With
an open economy which highly relies upon our natural resources and our people, including in
terms of agriculture, fisheries and food security and in terms of sectors such as tourism,
manufacturing and services, we believe that that a transition towards a green economy needs to
be undertaken under the framework of sustainable development, and would require systematic
national assessment of policy changes which would not be detrimental to our social fabric and
environment. A green economy needs to improve the quality of life of our citizens in the short,
medium and long-term.
Mr Co-Chair,
Will be able to resolve the challenges posed by the current economic architecture within the UN
system in isolation? To enable an effective outcome of the 2012 Conference, we would propose
that we need to think over how to ensure coherence and build linkages with International
Financial Institutions and the multilateral trading system, and address the inherent distortions and
imbalances if we wish to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.
We look forward to working with our partners to clarify a common understanding of the concept
of Green Economy. To this end, we look forward to a road map of activities until the second
Preparatory Committee to ensure that we progress towards this common understanding.
Thank you.
