1. Cabinet has agreed to the Mauritius Oceanography Institute initiating action for Marine Bathymetric and Geophysical surveys to be carried out with a view to collecting relevant scientific and technical data on the continental shelf to enable Mauritius to establish a claim under Article 76 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the extension of its marine jurisdiction beyond the 200 nautical miles limit of the EEZ.
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2. Cabinet has agreed to the Ratification of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which aims at –
o achieving greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the people of Africa;
o accelerating the political and socio-economic integration of the African Continent; and
o promoting and defending African positions on issues of common interest.
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3. Cabinet has agreed to the making of the Road Traffic (Control of Vehicular Emissions) Regulations with a view to enabling the relevant authorities to exercise effective control on vehicle emissions.
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4. Cabinet has agreed to a series of legislation being introduced into the National Assembly with a view to safeguarding against risks and dangers with the introduction of new technologies in the ICT sector and to making better provision for -
- Privacy and Data Protection;
- Electronic Consumer Protection; and
- Prevention of Computer misuse and Cybercrimes.
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5. Cabinet has taken note of the positive development regarding the political situation in the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros and has agreed to contribute a sum of US $25,000 to a Fund to be administered by the OAU for the implementation of a framework agreement, which has been signed by all the parties concerned including the opposition and the Anjouanese authorities and which provides, inter alia, for the return to constitutional order through elections by December 2001.
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6. Cabinet has approved the Terms of Reference of a study to develop an IT strategy for Mauritius as a Cyber Island. Tenders for the study will be floated shortly.
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7. Cabinet has taken note of the full composition of the Board of MASA under the chairmanship of Mr Gerard Manuel.
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8. Cabinet has taken note of the constitution of –
(a) the Sports Research Unit of the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the period 2001 to 2003 under the chairmanship of Mr Daniel Capiron;
(b) the "Commission Nationale du Sport Féminin" for the period 2001 to 2003, with Mrs Sheila Seeballuck-Blackburn as Chairperson;
(c) the Statistics Advisory Council with Mr Gilbert Gnany as Chairman; and
(d) the Medical Disciplinary Tribunal for the years 2001 and 2002 with Mr Abdullah Malleck Goolab Ahmed, former Judge as President.
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9. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of –
(i) the participation of the Minister of Health and Quality of Life in the SADC Annual Health Sectoral Committee of Minister’s Meeting held in Gaborone, Botswana from 2 to 6 April, 2001;
(ii) the mission undertaken by the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity & Senior Citizen Welfare and Reform Institutions to France from 26 to 28 March where he had discussions with the Head of Essone Accueil which assist in the reintegration of high risk youth in the main stream of society and the Head of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the fight against drug abuse and trafficking and to London on 29 and 30 March where he participated in the International Conference on Retirement Pension Reform.
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10. Cabinet has taken note of a proposal for the setting up of an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) plant in Mauritius and in Rodrigues with a view to producing electricity and fresh water by harnessing ocean energy. The project will be carried out jointly by the Mauritius Research Council and the National Institute of Ocean Technology of India.
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11. Cabinet has taken note of a project proposal for the training by private institutions of 1500 HSC holders in basic Information Technology, Call Centre Operations and E-commerce under the IT and Skills Development Programme. The basic course in IT aims at providing appropriate work skills to unemployed HSC holders while Call Centre Operations and E-Commerce would provide necessary skills to trainees for employment in the Call Centres. In the wake of converting Mauritius into a Cyber Island, it is forecast that by the end of year 2005, around 20,000 employment opportunities will be created in the IT sector and as such, the IT field will provide employment potentials to HSC holders who wish to pursue a career in the field.
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12. Cabinet has noted that the EIA Committee has not recommended the issue of an EIA licence for the proposed construction of a hotel on the Ile des Deux Cocos by Naiade Resorts in view of its negative impact on the environment.
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