A delegation headed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Roger Mancienne participated in a capacity building seminar on parliamentary democracy, conflict resolution and management for the Members of the ‘L’Association des Parlements des Etats Membres de la Commission de l’ocean Indien’ (AP-COI) which took place on 10th & 11th October 2023 in Mauritius. The Speaker was accompanied by Hon. Audrey Vidot, Hon. Philip Monthy, and the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly Ms. Alexandria Faure. The seminar falls under the ‘projet gouvernance, paix et stabilite’ (GPS) of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) funded by the Agence Francaise de Development with the aim to support the Commission in the implementation of the project by strengthening capacities of its Members to promote stability, advocacy, and peace in the Indian Ocean region.
The seminar was opened by the Honorable Sooroojdev Phokeer, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Mauritius and current president of the AP-COI, and the Secretary General of the IOC Professor Velayoudom Marimoutou. Both acclaiming and promoting the importance of regional cooperation and integration at the heart of the AP-COI since its official re-establishment in May 2023, in Seychelles. In his address, Speaker Phokeer underlined the active role of the AP-COI in promoting political stability, good governance and the rule of law including the entrenchment of a democratic culture in the Indian ocean region. The two-day seminar involved bespoke presentations from international and regional experts on the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, international mediation as a tool for parliaments, the role of parliaments in national and international conflict resolution as well as the exchanges of experiences from the member parliaments present such as; the National Assembly of Mauritius, the National Assembly of Madagascar, the Assembly of the Union of Comoros and of course, the National Assembly of Seychelles.
Speaker Mancienne expressed that “As parliamentarians we need to adopt the principles and methods for conflict resolution which can apply to national as well as international situations. This seminar was a valuable briefing on many regional and international situations from which we can derive many insights”.
The participants addressed questions on the elements of conflict resolution and the role of parliaments in promoting peace and stability. Many remarked that national elections across the Member States of the IOC will be taking place in the following two years and highlighted the role of parliamentarians in promoting peace and strengthening international parliamentary corporation during this time.
During the seminar Speaker Mancienne spoke of the aim to formalise a group of Small Island Developing States on the margins of the plenary of Inter-Parliamentary Union with the aims of forging and strengthening relationships between the SIDS and further amplifying their voices on common interests and challenges later this month. The delegation of Seychelles participated fervently in the discussions and highlighted the crucial role of the AP-COI in the region and internationally.
