Management of the Mascarene Plateau |29 October 2016

Joint committee discusses lengthily on setting up of Designated Authority

The establishment of the Designated Authority for theJoint Management Area (JMA) of the Mascarene Plateau was the lead discussion of the Joint Management Committee meeting on Wednesday.

One of the pertinent issues on the agenda was the legal framework for the establishment of the Designated Authority (DA). It was decided that clear guidance on proposed DA structure and mandate be given in order to facilitate the work on the legal drafters. And that the location of the DA, all options should be examined in detail before final decision. The Mauritius delegation pointed out that the Malaysian-Thailand JMA has provided an example of a precedent for a rotating DA and proposed to study this model and that there is not sufficient work for a full-time DA.

The co-chair of the Seychelles delegation had once again reiterated the wish of the Seychelles government to host the DA in Seychelles and that this should not prejudice the Seychelles position.

It was agreed then that a study visit comprising a four to six-member delegation from the JMA and the Technical Committee be conducted to the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority. This will assist in the preparation of the DA Framework.

The meeting was co-chaired by Philippe Michaud, the Special Advisor to the Minister for Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy, leading the Seychelles delegation and N.K Ballah, Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, Prime Minister’s Office, leading the Mauritius delegation.

In his statement, Mr Michaud said that he noted it was important to make the Joint Management of the Continental Shelf in the Mascarene Plateau Region a success as this is expected by both governments and the people of both countries. “Both sides have been entrusted with an important responsibility and are expected to deliver,” stated Mr Michaud.

Mr Michaud continued by saying that he has been questioned by members of the public as to why not much has happened since the signing of the Treaty in 2012. “One reason may be because the location of the Designated Authority (DA) has not yet been decided and hopes that this will resolve soon,” he said.

On his part Mr Ballah stated that he was delighted that much has already been achieved in the development of the JMA and that their presence in the meeting denotes continued commitment and active participation in the task assigned by the respective governments.

“The task assigned to us for the elaboration of the required framework for the JMA was challenging but so are the opportunities for both countries sharing the same vision in terms of harnessing the potential of the oceans,” said Mr Ballah.

On the issue of the Multi-Client Surveys, two companies were shortlisted.

In regards to the logo competition for the JMA, two entries were selected; one from Seychelles and the other from Mauritius and each will be awarded $2000. The JMA Committee proposed that the two logos be merged into one.

The next meeting of the JMA will be in January 2017.