Fight against poverty: Marshall Plan being finalised by UNDP experts

The Marshall Plan to combat poverty and social exclusion in Mauritius and Rodrigues was the focus of a working session held this week in Port Louis between the Minister of Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, Pradeep Roopun, and a team of experts from the UNDP. The Plan, under preparation, will be finalised shortly. The team, comprising Mr Mansour Ndiaye, Team Leader and Development Planning Advisor and Ms Alessandra Casazza, Regional Advisor on M/SDGs/ support to Team Leader, is in Mauritius until March 18 for a final consultation in the context of the elaboration of government’s Marshall Plan. A first draft was submitted by the team on 4 December 2015 and a revised version in February 2016. In January 2015, the government announced a medium to long term Marshall Plan to combat poverty and social exclusion. The services of a national consultant have been enlisted by the UNDP to support the overall coordination of the preparation of the Plan, including organising national consultations, supporting the experts’ team and the setting up of the implementation plan. The Marshall Plan will, among others, cover the following areas:

• Social protection
• Social Housing
• Social Inclusion and community development
• Access to education, and development of competencies
• Employment and sustainable livelihood/Economic opportunities for the most vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities
• Women empowerment and feminisation of poverty
• Youth economic empowerment
• Access to services, including, electricity, water, sanitation, transportation, ICT facilities
• Environmental protection and its relation with social integration.