Statement of the Hon. (Mrs) Kalpana Koonjoo- Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare

65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) 15 – 26 March 2021 New York (Virtual)

Your , Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

• I am privileged and honored for joining you at the 65th session for the Commission on the Status of Women.

• I wish at the very outset to convey the greetings of the Government of of Mauritius and its citizens, to all distinguished Ministers, and Delegates.

• Participation of women in public life is not just about numbers; it is, instead about issues of human rights, equity and justice which inevitably lead to viable solutions in addressing important gender gaps.

Your Excellency, • Allow me to share with you some of the policy and legal frameworks in place in Mauritius to ensure that women are treated “at par” with men.

1

• Section 16 of the Constitution of Mauritius, amended in September 1995, forbids discrimination on the basis of sex.

• The Local Government Act 2012 provides that at least one out of three persons standing as candidates in the Local Government elections should be of the opposite sex.

• The Code of Corporate Governance 2017 ensures that selection of Board Candidates is made on merit and diversity criteria, including the gender dimension.

• Since 2019, Public Companies and Statutory Bodies are required to have at least one woman in their Board of Directors.

• Progress in the political sector is moving slowly but surely.

• Following the last general elections held in 2019, women Ministers stand at 12.5 % representing 3 out of 24 Ministers.

• 14 out of 70 Member of Parliament are women; whilst 5 of the 20 are women.

Your Excellency,

• A High-Level Committee on the Elimination of Gender Based Violence was set up in January 2020, under the chair of the Hon. Prime Minister, himself, to address all outstanding gaps at the legislative, institutional and operational levels. Subsequently, a National Strategy and Action Plan were formulated for the period 2020-2024 to address Gender Based Violence.

Your Excellency,

2

• My Ministry has maintained the Slogan “Championing Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals” as its motto for all its interventions at policy and programming levels, and over the last few years, we have been raising awareness thereon among the population.

• Our Government is very much conscious of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, we are ensuring that all our gains, achieved so far, for women’s empowerment and gender equality are not altogether lost.

• And to that end, the UNDP (Mauritius) has undertaken a study on the “Socio-Economic Assessment of COVID-19 in Mauritius” with a specific chapter devoted to its impact on women. Its findings and recommendations will certainly guide my Ministry to take better informed policy decisions.

Your Excellency,

• I am conscious of the gender implications that COVID-19 entails and my Ministry remains committed to a gender sensitive approach to COVID 19 response and recovery.

• I also wish to flag out that my ministry is presently working on a Gender Equality Bill to address outstanding gender gaps. Moreover, a new National Gender Policy 2021- 2030 which takes into consideration the needs and aspirations of our citizens is currently being finalized.

Your Excellency,

• Now the challenge is a template for action. Women are to be given a platform to speak; the opportunities to make choices and the power to exert their rights. The message is therefore clear, and we need to strengthen our commitment and determination to

3

sustain the women’s empowerment and gender equality agenda and in so doing, we will further facilitate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

• I thank you for your attention.

4