Republic of Mauritius- Australia will continue to support Mauritius in developing the blue economy

Ms Dee highlighted that the meeting with the Prime Minister was cordial and productive, and that discussions focused on the strong cooperation between the two countries in several areas. These included the partnerships in: education and research so as to support Mauritius’ agenda of being a transnational education hub; the blue economy, namely, in research, fisheries and aquaculture; and gender equality.

Australia and Mauritius, she pointed out, have a shared agenda of promoting gender equality, and supporting women leadership and entrepreneurship. In this respect, the Australian High Commission has supported several programmes to promote female entrepreneurship and to address the scourge of gender-based violence, which is problematic for both countries. In addition, the Australian Government supported, through various partners in Mauritius, the setting up of the Domestic Violence Observatory, and shared experiences in the Perpetrator’s Rehabilitation Programme.

Furthermore, Ms Dee recalled that she had a warm and welcoming experience during her three years spent in Mauritius. ‘There is a great diversity in Mauritius, which is a vibrant democracy, and I was also struck by the beauty and diversity of the inner landscape of your island’, she concluded.