The United Nations family in Mauritius celebrates the UN Day 2020 and UN 75th anniversary in the presence of the Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius

The United Nations officially came into existence on 24th of October 1945, when its Charter was ratified. “As we mark the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, it is clear that the world has high expectations of us, as the main platform for multilateralism and cooperation on a rules-based international system”, states UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The official commemoration of UN 75th Anniversary in Mauritius was held on Wednesday 28th October 2020 at the Trianon Convention Centre. The Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius graced the occasion as Guest of honour.  Hon. Nando Bodha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, other cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, heads of international organizations, the representatives of the UN Agencies in Mauritius, representatives of private sector and civil society organizations and other Invited guests were also present.

True to the mission of “leaving no one behind”, several NGOs, youth organizations and children’s groups were invited - “THE MOMENT is FOR US and WITH US” one of the youth representatives. Young Mauritian students were honoured for their artwork on the theme – “SHAPING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER” whilst young musicians, dancers and artists delivered a memorable cultural performance highlighting selected SDGs.

Shaping the Future Together is the theme chosen by the United Nations for its 75th anniversary. This statement resonates strongly across a world disrupted by the COVID-19. Just like in 1945, nations came together to re-imagine and re-engineer a new world.  The UN Day is an opportunity for the world to pledge to do more to end human suffering from poverty, inequality, hunger and hatred, and fight discrimination on the basis of race, religion, Mauritius is now COVID-19 safe and what we learn from this is that collective effort is essential. It is important to bring all communities together and all nations together, to solve the problems of the moment, recover better and continue the path to SDGs. 

The UN was founded bringing together nations of the world to promote peace and prosperity. Mauritius has remained true to the vision of the UN charter, a rainbow nation where the people are known to be multi-ethnic and multi-cultural and with various religions. Moreover, Mauritius was ranked as the most peaceful African country by the Global Peace Index 2019.

In his speech, the Hon. Nando, Minister of Foreign Affairs declared: “We have walked a long way together and as we look back; we can say that the United Nations have been successful in its core mission. For Mauritius, the United Nations remains the most effective platform against the prejudices of tyranny of History. In fact, where else, would the voice of Mauritius find a more resounding echo for our just cause than at the UN?”  

Delivering the keynote address, the Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius stated the following: “Today, we wish to express our gratitude to the entire UN System which supported us in various areas when the COVID-19 became a multi-sectorial problem and in the aftermath of the Wakashio oil spill. We believe that strengthening the UN, reinforcing multilateralism and building stronger leadership at the UN & its specialized agencies should be given the highest priority when we are talking of the New Normal. We look forward to working with the UN and other key institutions to revive our economy. One of the major successes of the UN has been the decolonization of many territories. The UN remains the platform where we can right the wrongs of History and complete the unfinished business of decolonization including that of the Mauritian territory. My government is putting people at the centre of our socio-economic development. Our national efforts are geared towards poverty alleviation, constructing social housing, improving the quality of education, protecting our biodiversity and women empowerment. These, in fact, do reflect the priorities of the United Nations. We reaffirm the commitment of the Republic of Mauritius to the United Nations. We, humans, thrive on optimism. We learn from past mistakes. Today, we must stand behind our organisation to build a brighter future for humanity, a future where our children feel secure, feel valued and empowered to face adversities and challenges. Young and old, we need audacity to do things differently for the common good of mankind.” 

The Prime Minister of Mauritius then proceeded to hand over prizes to young Mauritians having participated in an art contest around the theme: Shaping our future together.  He was accompanied by the UN Resident Coordinator and UN Heads of Agencies.

As part of the celebrations, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has launched the largest global conversation as an online dialogue - www.UN@75.online - to engage the young, the old, men, women, governments, civil society, businesses, and media organizations. Its key question is “What is the future we want: The UN we need?”   Mauritius has joined the dialogue and people from all walks of life, leaders, community members, young stars, private sector, civil society organisations and every individual is called to take the survey and make their voice be heard. This campaign aims to generate renewed support for multilateralism in promoting peace and prosperity whilst seeking to make global decision-making and governance inclusive and accountable.

The strategic partnership framework (SPF) 2019-2023 between government of Mauritius and the United Nations consolidates the work of the UN in a coherent framework for better coordination and the UN family pledges to continue the partnership for a sustainable Mauritius.

The UN agencies which have programmes in Mauritius include: FAO, IFAD, ILO, IAEA, IOM, WHO, OHCHR, UNDP, UNEP, SGP under UNDP, UN Habitat, UNAIDS, UNECA, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNODC, UN Women, UNWTO. UN work is coordinated by the UN Resident Coordinator.