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Joint Management Committee of the Extended Continental Shelf of the Mascarene Plateau hosts their 10th Joint Commission meeting in Seychelles

October 28, 2016

Joint Management Committee of the Extended Continental Shelf of the Mascarene Plateau hosts their 10th Joint Commission meeting in Seychelles

Seychelles hosted the 10th meeting of the Joint Commission between the Republic of Seychelles and the Republic of Mauritius to further discuss progress on the Joint Management Area (JMA) of the Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) of the Mascarene Plateau which was formally established in 2012 by the signing of a treaty between the countries. The Joint Management Committee meeting was held on Wednesday 26th at the MLUH Annex Building, Independence House.

One of the pertinent issues on the agenda was the legal framework for the establishment of the Designated Authority. It was decided that clear guidance on proposed DA structure and mandate be given in order to facilitate the work on the legal drafters. The Co-chair of the Seychelles Delegation had once again reiterated the position of the Seychelles Government to host the DA in Seychelles and that this should not prejudice the Seychelles position.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Philippe Michaud, the Special Advisor to the Minister for Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy, leading the Seychelles Delegation and Mr. 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 it was important to make the JMA a success for the region and an example for the world. 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 more 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 I hope that this will resolve soon”, he said.

On his part, Mr. N.K. Ballah, stated that he was delighted that much has already been achieved in the development of the Joint Management Area 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.

Presentation by Spectrum Geo was made during the Joint Management Committee meeting, as a company shortlisted for the Multi-Client Surveys. Negotiations are ongoing and should eventually lead to seismic work being done in the JMA. In regards to the logo competition for the JMA, two entries were selected; one from Seychelles and the other form Mauritius and each will be awarded $2000. The JMA Committee has decided to have a merged version of the 2 logos and will have the official prize giving ceremony at the next Joint Commissioners meeting in the New Year.

The next meeting of the JMA is expected to take place in January 2017.

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