The elected member for Mont Buxton Hon. Gervais Henrie met with parliamentarians from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and jurisdictions from across the Commonwealth in Valletta, Malta to discuss sustainable ways of boosting the economy of Seychelles.The two-day workshop on Sustainable Economic Development was hosted by the Parliament of Malta and was delivered by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Headquarters Secretariat in cooperation with the Commonwealth Small Branches Centre for Excellence.
It discussed trade opportunities for small states, development of the tourism sector, education, inclusion and equality, renewable energy and energy independence, ocean management and climate change and food security.
Hon. Henrie stated that: “the workshop was an excellent opportunity to discuss common concerns among small island states and who can work together as Members of Parliament to ensure achievable targets through parliamentary oversight and scrutiny”.
The 21 Members in attendance had the opportunity to hear from experts from International Organisations such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Oxfam and the Small States Network for Economic Development, whilst also learning from the experiences of their fellow peers.
Participants learned how to conduct parliamentary inquiry as a tool to investigate issues of sustainable economic development and produce reports with recommendations that could contribute to their respective island’s development.
Participants present in Malta represented the jurisdictions of Alderney, the Australia Capital Territory, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, Northern Territory, Perlis, St Helena, Turks and Caicos and Seychelles.
Hon. Henrie was selected to attend due to him being the Chairperson of the Committee on Government Assurances, which has the mandate to follow promises made by Government Ministers and other officials in the House of the National Assembly.
The workshop was held from 29th to 30th January.
Editor’s note: The CPA has since 1981 held Small Branches Conferences for Members from more than 30 jurisdictions with populations of up to a current ceiling of 500,000 people. Members discuss political problems and the operation of democratic systems in some of the world’s smallest jurisdictions. The CPA works closely with Small Branches in all Regions of the Commonwealth to identify their particular needs and requirements in parliamentary strengthening, development and cooperation.
