Honourable Mr. Louis Serge Clair, G.C.S.K, Chief Commissioner, Rodrigues Regional Assembly (RRA)

Honourable Mrs Marie Pricie Anjela Speville, Chairperson of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, 

Her Excellency, Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy, Australian High Commissioner (Mauritius and Seychelles)

Her Excellency, Ms. Christine Umutoni, United Nations Resident Coordinator (Mauritius and Seychelles) 

Commissioners and Members of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly

Members of the Sustainable Development Goals Committee 

Ms. Yannick Legentil, Clerk of the RRA

Members of the Rodrigues Youth Parliament 

Representatives of Civil Society Organisations 2

Members of the Press

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Bonjour!

I am pleased to join you today in the pristine island of Rodrigues. 

At the outset, let me express my gratitude for the warm welcome. And, let me emphasize how particularly meaningful it is to be here in Rodrigues which is a strong promoter of environment protection both on-land and in the lagoon, while promoting sustainable consumption and livelihoods.

In my previous mission to Rodrigues, I was able to witness first-hand the different projects being implemented towards entrepreneurship development, conservation and protection of the natural eco-system; and I had the opportunity to interact with local women participating in agri-business. I especially recognize the untapped potential of Rodrigues and encourage you to maximize on the benefits of the “Limon de Rodrigues” on a global scale. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This leads me to the objectives of the RRA SDG Committee, that is to continue to work and accelerate progress to achieve development in a participatory and sustainable manner. 

Rodrigues is to be commended first and foremost for having set up one of the first SDG Committees at the sub-regional level. I am made to understand that this initiative followed a visit by a delegation comprised of the then Speaker of the Mauritius National Assembly and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Gender Caucus and the UNDP National Gender Expert in May 2019.

The idea presented by the delegation to Members was to set up a structure for SDG 5 on Women’s Equality. However, Chief Commissioner and Madam Chair of the RRA, your far-sightedness enabled the RRA to go beyond SDG 5 (on gender equality) to addressing all the SDGs through the setting up of this Committee. Allow me to also congratulate you for including this Committee as a Standing Committee of the RRA through amendments made to the Standing Orders. 3 

UNDP is privileged to be an integral part of this journey with you, from the conceptualization phase to the validation of the strategic plan of the SDG Committee with the technical assistance of the UNDP Gender Expert.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Addressing the 17 Goals of the SDGs in a holistic manner and recognizing that gender is cross cutting within the Goals is a first step towards achieving Agenda 2030. This is where this Committee is seen to be especially important, as it regroups Members working in different sectors to work on a common vision and roadmap for addressing the key challenges: ending poverty and ensuring well-being and human rights for all, peace and the protection of the environment irrespective of gender.

Ultimately, I am convinced that the SDG Committee will pave the way for economic development in Rodrigues that "leaves no one behind". I, therefore, invite members of the SDG Committee to use the 169 Targets and their related indicators underpinning the SDGs as a roadmap on how to leave no one behind as Rodrigues continues to progress on the socio-economic and political landscape. 

Chief Commissioner,

While having a clear measurable roadmap to guide the actions of the Committee, allow me to emphasize that it is crucial to have baseline data to identify gaps, assess progress and inform future decision-making processes. It is precisely in this context that the UNDP is extending further assistance to the Committee to undertake one of its first strategic activities by conducting a baseline study on the status of the SDGs in Rodrigues. This initiative is being carried out with the support of the Australian Government Direct Aid Programme and I wish to place on record our appreciation to Dr O’Shaughnessy and Australian High Commission in Mauritius. 

Madam Chair,

I have no doubt that once the Baseline Study is completed, the Committee will be equipped with up to date data to guide its work. I would encourage the Committee to 4 

adopt a participatory approach to address the needs of Rodrigues. I encourage the Committee to reach out to civil society organizations, and work cross institutional boundaries to establish national ownership of achieving the Goals. This is especially significant to achieve SDG 16 and 17.

Moreover, the Committee needs to reach out to young people to ensure that they are active agents of change and build a new generation of stakeholders who can take the SDG Agenda forward. I am, therefore, pleased to note that members of the Youth Parliament are present today, and call upon the youth to mobilize to achieve the Goals as these will ensure a better future for yourself and your family. As a matter of fact, the needs and interests of young people are mainstreamed within the Goals from eliminating poverty, to having decent jobs, participating in innovation and technological advancement and gender equality. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As part of our integrator role within the UN family represented today by the UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Umutoni, UNDP is committed to support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through a global framework, consisting of three main pillars: Climate Action, Blue Economy and Digital Transformation. For most SIDS, the main development challenge is vulnerability to external shocks. Therefore resilience-building is of paramount importance, ranging from a multi-faceted set of objectives from climate adaptation to economic diversification including gender equality. In this context, I invite Members of the Committee to develop innovative ways to continue to build a resilient Rodrigues that is linked to the global agenda for sustainable development. 

On this note, I wish the Committee all the best in its future areas of work.

I thank you for your attention. 

Merci.