Mandate
of the Regional Integration Division
Mauritius views Regional Integration as part of its overall
development strategy to enhance economic growth and achieve sustainable
development. The Regional Integration Division (RID) steers the process of
regional integration in organisations to which we belong. It also prepares for
meetings and monitors activities relating to the regional organisations to which
Mauritius belongs, namely
· Southern African Development Community (SADC),
· Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA),
· Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), and
· Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
It also takes on board decisions of the Tripartite SADC-COMESA-EAC
Summit.
Main areas of co-operation
The Regional Integration Division coordinates activities in the
following main clusters:
· Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment;
· Infrastructure and Services Support for Regional Integration
dealing with issues such as Energy, Water, Transport and Meteorology, Postal,
Communications and ICT and Tourism;
· Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and
Environment;
· Development of the Ocean Economy;
· Social, Human Development and Special Programmes dealing with
issues such as Health and HIV and AIDS, and Education, Labour and
Employment;
· Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation;
· Cross-Cutting Issues such as Science and Technology and
Gender
Southern
African Development Community (SADC)
Background
SADC was established as a Development Coordinating Conference in
1980 and was later transformed into a Development Community in 1992.
Established primarily with economic aims, the SADC now oversees a large range
of sectors including agriculture, peace and security, climate change,
infrastructure, industrialisation and health.
Objectives
As per Article 5 of its Treaty, SADC aims at achieving economic
growth and development, alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of
life of the people of Southern Africa and support the socially disadvantaged
through regional integration. It also aims at evolving common political values,
systems and institutions as well as the promotion of peace and
security
Member
States
The sixteen Member States of SADC are Angola, Botswana, Comoros, DR
Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles,
South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Institutional
Structure of SADC
The following organs of SADC have the power to take
decisions:
· The Summit of Heads of State and Government;
· The Council of Ministers; and
· The organ on Politics, Defence and Security
Co-operation
The Summit is responsible for the overall policy direction and
control of the functions of SADC and for the adoption of legal instruments for
the implementation of the provisions of the SADC Treaty. However, Summit may
delegate this authority to the Council or any other institutions of SADC as it
may deem appropriate.
The Secretariat is based in Gaborone, Botswana. It is headed by an
Executive Secretary who is appointed by the Summit for a term of four years and
is eligible for renewal once for a further term of four years. The basic
function of the Secretariat is to provide technical support and advisory
services to the Member States in the implementation of the Treaty and policy
decisions. It mainly implements sectoral projects and programmes in line with
decisions adopted by the Summit of Heads of State and Government and Council of
Ministers. The Executive Secretary of the Secretariat is Dr Stergomena L. Tax
from Tanzania.
Common
Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
COMESA
was established in 1994 to replace the former Preferential Trade Area (PTA)
which had existed from the earlier days of 1981. COMESA
was established 'as an organisation of free independent sovereign states which
have agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for
the good of all their people.' COMESA launched a Free Trade Area (FTA) in
October 2000 which implies the elimination of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and the
simplification of COMESA Rules of Origin and Value Added
Criteria.
Objectives
The aims and objectives of COMESA are to become a fully integrated
regional Economic Community within which all Member States co-operate to achieve
economic prosperity through sustainable growth and high standard of living for
its people, promote peace, security and stability in order to enhance economic
development in the region; and facilitate and enhance the free movement of
goods, services capital and labour across national geographical
borders.
Member
States
The twenty-one members of COMESA are Burundi, Comoros, DR of Congo,
Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,
Rwanda, Somalia, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
Institutional
Structure of COMESA
The Authority of Heads of State and Government and the Council of
Ministers are the main decision-making organs of COMESA. The Authority is the
supreme Policy Organ of the COMESA and is responsible for the general policy,
direction and control of the performance of the executive functions of the
Common Market and the achievement of its aims and
objectives.
The Secretariat is based in Lusaka, Zambia. It is headed by a
Secretary General who is appointed by the Authority for a term of five years and
is eligible for re-appointment for a further term of five years. The basic
function of the Secretariat is to provide technical support and advisory
services to the Member States in the implementation of the Treaty. It undertakes
research and studies as a basis for implementing the decisions adopted by the
Policy Organs. The Secretary General of the Secretariat is Ms. Chileshe Kapwepwe
from Zambia.
Indian Ocean Commission
(IOC)
The Indian Ocean Commission was founded in Port Louis, Mauritius,
on 20 December 1982 with three members, namely, Madagascar, Mauritius and
Seychelles. The “Accord Général de Coopération of Victoria” was signed in 1984
in Seychelles. In 1986, Comoros and France (Réunion) joined the
organisation. The IOC Secretariat is located at Ebène,
Mauritius.
The IOC implements a vast portfolio of projects spanning multiple
fields: environment, tourism, development of trade, fishing, telecommunications,
culture, handicraft, meteorology, development of the human resources. Most of
the IOC projects are funded by the European Union. The IOC currently holds
observer status at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the African
Union (AU).
The Council of Ministers is the supreme authority of the IOC. It
meets once a year. The annual presidency rotates every year in alphabetical
order of the countries. Seychelles is the current Chair. The Secretary-General
of the Secretariat is appointed for a non-renewable four-year mandate. Mr Hamada
Madi Boléro from the Union of Comoros is the Secretary General of the
IOC.
Indian
Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
The
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was launched in Mauritius on 6-7 March
1997And its Secretariat is based at Ebène, Mauritius. The current
Secretary-General is H.E. Dr Nomvuyo Nokwe from South Africa. The main objective
of the organization is to promote the sustained growth and balanced development
of the region and of the Member States. The Council of Ministers is the supreme
authority of the IORA.
The
IORA comprises twenty-two members, ten Dialogue Partners and two
Observers:
· The
members are: Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya,
Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles,
Singapore, South Africa, Federal Republic of Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania,
Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
· The
Dialogue partners are France, Italy, Japan, Egypt, China, Germany, South Korea,
Turkey, UK and US.
· The
Observers are the Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) and the Western Indian
Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).
The 6 priority areas of cooperation
of the IORA are:
(i) Maritime safety
and security;
(ii) Disaster risk
management;
(iii) Trade &
investment facilitation;
(iv) Fisheries
management;
(v) Academic, Science
& Technology; and
(vi) Tourism and cultural
exchanges.
Women’s Economic Empowerment and Blue
Economy are the two cross-cutting issues.
