MAURITIUS & SEYCHELLES
22 January 2013
Dear Secretary-General,
2012 Resident Coordinator’s Annual Report – Mauritius and Seychelles
I have the honour to submit the 2012 United Nations Resident Coordinator Annual Report for the Republic
of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles. The report offers an overview of major achievements and
challenges over the past year.
Mauritius: Major local developments: The continuing Euro-zone crises has led to a slowing down of the
Mauritius economy with real GDP growth of 3.4% for 2012 compared to 3.9% a year ago, while
unemployment rate has marginally gone up to 8% .
Mauritius has made significant progress in MDG attainment relating to education, gender equality in
education, adult literacy rate, infant mortality rates, provision of safe drinking water and improved sanitary
facility, diversification of agricultural sector (and the entire economy), eradication of vector borne diseases,
etc. The country’s focus on healthcare, education, and welfare has contributed greatly to social
development. There are remaining challenges with environmental sustainability, mitigation (and adaptation
to) climate change, reproductive health with special emphasis on youth and women’s health, representation
of women in parliament (in recent local and municipal elections representation rates of women quadrupled
to 33%) and in the private sector.
In February 2012, the Government of Mauritius announced the preparation of a 10-year Economic and
Social Transformation Plan (ESTP) that will set out the long-term national goals and strategies which seek to
achieve a balance between growth, equity and sustainability objectives. The development of the ESTP will
strengthen the framework for medium-term strategic planning, at the level both of central and line
ministries, besides PBB.
Seychelles: Major local developments
Following the Euro-zone crises, real GDP growth was moderate in 2012 to 2.7% from 5.0% in 2011 as the
country relies heavily on Europe for tourism and exports. Increase in world prices of basic commodities and
petroleum products, coupled with depreciation of Seychelles rupee led to increase in inflation (9%) during
the year to its highest level in four years, which, however declined to 7.6% in end-October 2012 following
tighter monetary policy.
The government has initiated an electoral reform process in an effort to increase participation after the
elections in 2011 saw all opposition parties boycott the parliamentary elections. A forum has been set up in
which all parties except one, are taking part.
Seychelles has achieved most of the MDG’s, especially those relating to extreme poverty, education, literacy
rates, sanitation, safe drinking water and health, universal coverage for essential medicines, antiretroviral
therapy (ART’s) and access to new technologies, such as the internet and cellular telephones. Challenges do
remain, including combating HIV/AIDs, access to reproductive health in order to reduce teenage pregnancy,
management of non-communicable diseases (especially cancer), weaknesses in education system, etc.
Seychelles had a HDI ranking of 52 out of 187 in 2011, which was highest of all African nations.
In spite of the laudable achievements, challenges persist as further economic liberalization leads to greater
vulnerabilities. In a bid to reduce universal subsidies and move to a better-targeted social safety net
program, the UN has been supporting the National Bureau of Statistics and the Agency for Social Protection
to undertake an estimation of the poverty line and develop a poverty profile for Seychelles.
The Medium Term National Development Strategy in Seychelles (2013-2016) is currently being finalised with
the support of UN. With the completion of this, the development planning tools available will have
significantly improved to aid strategic support to the government.
Seychelles has been very active in anti-piracy and has been a venue for the trials of pirates over the course
of 2012.
Highlights on progress towards UNDAF outcomes in support to the national development priorities. This
section should also demonstrate how UN reform has impacted UN common programming.
Mauritius and Seychelles currently do not have an UNDAF and are working towards finalising a UN Common
Framework of Assistance (CFA) for each country. The aim is to strategically target a selected number of
thematic areas where joint UN technical assistance can have a high impact.
Thematic Group leaders have been designated amongst the UNCT and draft work plans developed for
Mauritius (in the areas of Education, Green Economy, Health and HIV/AIDS) and Seychelles (Health and
HIV/AIDS only) until the end of 2013. These took the form of a Common Framework of Assistance (draft) for
each country. The sectoral focuses agreed upon were HIV/AIDs, Green Economy, Health, Education, and
Governance (with Gender and social inclusion as crosscutting).
In line with the government strategy of sustainable development (MID), in 2011/2012, four studies were
funded by ILO (Green Jobs Assessment, Skills for Green Jobs Study, Greening of Mauritian Study and
Stocktaking Exercise on Trade Union Involvement/Activities in Green Jobs in Mauritius), on the potential for
Green Growth in Mauritius - Green Jobs for MID. The recommendations of the studies on green jobs have
been integrated in the draft MID Policy, strategy and action plan, which will be approved by Cabinet early
2013.
Draft work plans for Health focused on NCDs and the areas identified are in line the 2011 Political
Declaration of the High level Meeting of the General Assembly on Prevention and Control of NCDs (in
particular reducing risk factors and scaling up health promoting environments; strengthening country level
surveillance, monitoring systems and national health systems).
The draft work plans in each DaO thematic areas require further agreement with national authorities and to
be validated. However, even with the current limitations, it is important to recognise some of the highlights
of the planned CFA Outcomes in relation to UN common programming, as they have been done in direct
coordination and support of national plans.
In Seychelles, the following UN agencies (WHO, UNHCHR, ILO, UNDP and WHO (Seychelles) worked on a
joint proposal which was submitted to the newly established UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (UNPRPD) to support the integration of persons with disabilities into mainstream society in
Seychelles. Although the UNCT proposal was not approved, this provided the agencies with an opportunity
to develop joint proposals on the specific interventions identified in the Common Framework of Assistance.
A Green Economy Focal Point came into post in August 2012, funded by ILO, UNDP, and UNIDO. The FP has
been working in close cooperation with ILO, UNIDO, UNDP, and UNEP to elaborate future joint programming
plans and has been assisting in resource mobilization with UN Agencies as well as donor organizations for
the implementation of Maurice Ile Durable and the draft Medium Term National Development Strategy for
Seychelles.
The HIV/AIDs Focal Point in Mauritius (until March 2012) has actively participated in the elaboration of the
new National Strategic Framework 2012-2016. The framework has a special focus on Rodrigues. The RCO
supported the mission of a technical team from the National Aids Secretariat to Rodrigues in this respect.
The RCO facilitated mobilization of Technical Assistance from the UNAIDS Inter-Country Office and the
Regional Support Team during the whole process of developing the NSF (Gender mainstreaming, RBM
training to the stakeholders working group and the national partnership forum, Monitoring and Evaluation
Strategy etc). Technical Assistance from WHO Inter-country Support Team was also mobilised to review the
draft NSF 2012-2016 developed by the Technical Working Groups; and build capacity of the National
Steering Committee and Technical Working Groups to develop the Business Plan of the National Framework.
In Seychelles, following the departure of the HIV and AIDS Technical Advisor in February, UNFPA supported a
UNV until October 2012 with WHO oversight. RCO managed to mobilize funds from the RSC to extend the
contract of the UNV up to end April 2013, who is undertaking an instrumental assessment of the legal
environment in Seychelles.
A joint Gender Program has been initiated by UN Women and UNDP, including the funding of a Gender Focal
Point in the Resident Coordinators Office.
The development and elaboration of the Seychelles Medium Term National Development Strategy has been
supported with joint funding from UNDP, UNESCO, ILO, and RCO.
Rodrigues was a special focus of the UNCT in 2012. A set of concept notes was elaborated with the
Rodrigues Regional Assembly with support of the DaO Focal Point. A case study on UN Coordination in
Rodrigues has also been developed, learning from this pilot will be used by the UNCT in 2013.
Focal Points based within the RC Office are being appointed to lead on Green Economy (in post), Gender (in
post January 2013), HIV/AIDs (vacant in Mauritius but a FP in Seychelles), Rodrigues DaO (newly vacant). It
has also been agreed with the Seychelles MFA to cost share a Coordination Assistant in Seychelles.
Highlights on progress in UN reform
In 2012, there were substantial changes in the RCO for Mauritius and Seychelles, including substantive
turnover in every post except one. Even with these significant personnel changes, the UNCT for Mauritius
and Seychelles has made substantial progress on delivering in a more coordinated fashion across agencies.
There is substantial commitment to continue this improvement of ways of working as to how the UNCT
cooperates, coordinates, communicates, and programmes in Mauritius and Seychelles. The UNCT piloted
the Delivering as One Compact in Rodrigues that has had some considerable success. The President of
Seychelles made a formal request to the UN Secretary General in April 2012 requesting inclusion in the DaO
process.
The proposed DaO plan of developing a UN Common Framework of Assistance (UN CFA) for each country
has moved forward, though has not yet been finalised. UNCT cost shared posts of thematic Focal Points in
the RC’s Office has moved forward as well, but the blockages of the last 18 months largely remain.
Recruitment for these posts remain a challenge, but where the posts have been filled (two out of four) there
has been significantly improved coordination and strategic planning. Given the 15 NRA to two (2) resident
agency ratio, these posts are crucial to the effectiveness of the RC’s Office (and to lessen the burden on our
development partners and government).
(i) Efforts to align with the national development processes;
The UN has continued its support to advancing the Programme Based Budgeting (with performance
indicators) and the start of the 10-year Economic and Social Transformation Plan (ESTP) in Mauritius and the
to the Medium Term National Development Strategy in Seychelles (2013-2016); the development planning
tools now available have significantly improve to aid strategic support to the government. These strategic
documents are being used as the basis for formulation new technical cooperation programmes for the two
countries. All UN Agencies have concluded (or are in the process of formulating) detailed separate Country
Programme Framework (CPF), or similar, with the two countries. The CPFs define mutually agreed priority
development needs in various sectors that could be addressed through technical cooperation activities
between the Governments and the UN Agencies. These now will need to be more holistically aligned to the
new national planning tools being developed.
(ii) Support to the national government in the advancing the achievement of the Millennium
Declaration/MDGs;
Both countries have made significant achievements on MDG’s and Mauritius was selected as a Post 2015
consultation country. Each of the UN Agencies operating in the two countries implemented successful
projects that made significant contributions toward the achievements of the various MDGs.
The RCO is working in close collaboration with the MFA to undertake the Post 2015 national consultation
process.
(iii) Progress UNCTs are making collectively in support of the national partners’ endeavors towards
capacity development and aid effectiveness
The RC has taken a proactive role in working with Development Partners to better coordinate and align
programs. This has been possible through increased program communications with the UNCT, mapping of
program activities and the provision of technical support.
(iv) Experiences of common programming, including HACT
UNDP and WHO consolidated their shared common services which includes office rental and IT support
services. UNDP is managing the contracts.
(v) Other highlights in coordination
A number of UN Agencies (IAEA, OCHA, UNDP, GEF SGP, UNEP, FAO) have continued to assist the two
countries in formulation and implementation of strategies and measures for emergency preparedness,
climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as energy, environmental and biodiversity issues. In
Mauritius, this includes drafting the Climate Change Bill and setting up the Energy Efficiency Management
Office (EMMO) following the enactment of the Energy Efficiency Act. In Seychelles, this support includes
reviewing the national disaster risk management policy and other policy documents, including the draft
Disaster Bill. In both countries substantial work is being undertaken on biodiversity protection.
In line with its policy on economic growth, the Government of Mauritius endorsed and signed the Decent
Work Country Program, in November 2012. The program contributes to the national policy with the aim to
improving the employment of working and living conditions of workers in Mauritius.
In line with its policy for the development of the Agriculture sector, the Government of Mauritius conducted
with FAO a new Census of Agriculture to provide up-to-date and comprehensive data on the agricultural
sector for planning and policy making.
Mauritius successfully elaborated a National Urban Profile under the first phase of the Participatory Slum
Upgrading Project (PSUP) in collaboration with UN-Habitat, UNDP, EC and the ACP Secretariat. The process
was done in a participatory manner comprising relevant Ministries and Urban Councils as well as
representatives of the civil society, private sector and academia.
The key aspects of the proposed 2013 workplan and linkages to ongoing issues of concern within the
country
 Finalize the recruitment and financing for all of the Focal Points in the RC Office. These include;
Green Economy, Gender, HIV/AIDs, Rodrigues DaO, and Coordination Assistant (Seychelles)
 Finalize UN Common Framework of Assistance for both countries for the period 2013-2016, through
a national dialogue process with government
 Move Rodrigues DaO initiatives out of pilot phase and into normal ways of working
 Increase outreach to NRAs to increase program impact, this would include evidence based policy
and program options supporting the real needs in Mauritius and Seychelles (e.g. the myth of MICs
not requiring as much technical assistance leading to diminishing program budgets)
 RC Office funding and financing strategy developed
Recommendations, if any, for changes in policies, rules and regulations.
Support in developing financing strategies for coordination in MIC countries, particularly those that have a
very high ratio of NRA's. This would also be true for RCO's with multi-country responsibility. This would
include policy options for Resident Coordinator Office financing by resident and non-resident agencies.
Reviewing how DaO can meet the required criteria and end states, but in a way that can be done with
limited transaction costs of "lite".