Blue economy included in youth exchanges of CJSOI Games |13 December 2021

Minister Zialor and her delegation during one of the visits

The inclusion of the blue economy as part of youth exchanges in the context of the Indian Ocean Youth and Sport Commission games ‒ Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien (CJSOI) – was top on the agenda of the discussions held between Minister for Youth, Sports and Family of Seychelles, Marie Celine Zialor and Mauritian Minister for Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Stephan Toussaint.

This was during bilateral talks held on Thursday at the secretariat of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation in the capital city of Port Louis.

The two ministers agreed that as island nations the blue economy should be a strong component of the 12th Games scheduled to take place in December next year. Leadership training is part of activities earmarked for the youth component of the Games which bring together young people aged 14-17 years old.

Minister Zialor, who is on a four-day familiarisation visit in Mauritius in her capacity as the president of the CJSOI, said that young people being future leaders should be included in discussions on the blue economy, something she said is needed as Indian Ocean nations can be the leaders in this sector.

Minister Toussaint, on his part, welcomed what he described as an excellent proposition as he said the two nations have big exclusive economic zones and added that already Seychelles and Mauritius have joint management of the Mascarene Plateau Region of the Indian Ocean. Minister Toussaint added that it is important that young people know at an early age the huge potential that the ocean has for the islands.

Following talks on how the two ministries can work together and strengthen collaborations in sports and youth development, Minister Zialor met with the organising committee of the CJSOI games. Through a presentation, the minister learned about the preparations for the games, in terms of accommodation, sporting as well as recreational facilities.

Minister Zialor also visited the secretariat of the CJSOI which is also based at the headquarters of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation. With the secretary-general of the commission Ashok Cheetamun, Minister Zialor discussed how to strengthen the games and competitions as well as ways to modernise and elevate the standards of the games so that they can be at par with other world events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.

Minister Zialor, who is heading a four-member delegation, then had the chance to visit the youth centre at Rivière du Rampart, a facility that will be used in the games next year.

The centre includes an indoor court, which can also be used to stage cultural shows as well as an outdoor swimming pool. There, Minister Zialor was also briefed on different programmes the youth centre was running in youth development and empowerment, another area for future collaborations between Seychelles’ Ministry for Youth, Sports and Family and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation of Mauritius.

Contributed