Executive Summary the domination of these sectors by other ethnic and religious groups. Furthermore, diversity can only be seen as positive when the different social groups do not just coexist but also intermingle, intermarry and, in essence, see themselves as one whole comprised of different parts. This does not appear to be the case in Mauritius, as noted by the CSAR and confirmed by the CRM. The different groups in Mauritian society live in religious, ethnic and racial enclaves. Intermingling is limited. Intermarrying is even more unlikely. Some ethnic groups are hardly to be seen in the political sphere, except in a restricted capacity, and they are unequally represented at all levels of the civil service. Most importantly, one ethnic group (the Afro-Mauritian Creoles) lags behind all others in terms of human development indicators, which explains this group’s enduring sense of grievance as well as its feelings of injustice and exclusion. 1.110 If Mauritius is to arrest the negative permutations of its diversity, the country will need to systematically address the issue through wellthought-out policies that foster the development of a truly equal society, in addition to building and instilling a sense of national identity that transcends ethnic, racial and religious barriers. As the CSAR noted, and as the CRM learnt, there have been some good and successful national policies aimed at enhancing equal access to political opportunities, mainly through the best-loser system (BLS). Furthermore, the country’s constitutional endorsement of nondiscrimination and the equal opportunities legislation it has enacted are regarded as positive developments. However, these efforts have failed to meet expectations when it comes to the implementation of measures that can transform the lives of those regarded as socially, politically and economically marginalised. Mauritius needs to build and inculcate a sense of being Mauritian that transcends ethnic, religious and racial barriers. Poverty 1.111 Fall in the Incidence of Extreme Poverty. The first United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goal (MDG) is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger in the world. The target is to halve the proportion of people living on less than USD1 a day by the year 2015. The USD1 a day poverty line is more relevant to least developed countries, where there is extreme poverty. If we take the USD2 a day and the USD4 a day poverty lines, which are more relevant to middle-income countries such as Mauritius, the proportion of poor people has decreased over time. In the 1996-1997, 2832 households were living in on less than 32 Executive Summary USD 2 per day, constituting 1.03 per cent of all households in the country. This number had fallen to 2237 households in 2006-2007 at 0.67 per cent of all households. Using the USD 4 a day poverty line, the number of poor households decreased from 36,307 in 1996-1997 at 13.23 per cent to 31,933 households in 2006-2007 at 9.55 per cent of all households. 1.112 Relative Poverty. Mauritius has developed a Relative Development Index (RDI) of each administrative area using data from the most recent Housing and Population Census survey in the year 2000. The RDI measures the relative development of municipal wards and village council areas. It is used for identifying priority areas for the implementation of poverty-alleviation programmes, based on 12 variables that encompass housing and living conditions, literacy and education, as well as employment. Le Morne, the island of Rodrigues and Baie du Cap were thus identified as the least developed areas, while Quatre Bornes and Beau Bassin/Rose Hill were the most developed areas. Even though growth in Mauritius is acknowledged by the CRM, the RDI shows that are still pockets of relative poverty in the country. The Government Programme for 2010-20152 has identified 229 pockets of poverty across the country. The Mauritian authorities should consider addressing these pockets of poverty with the effective implementation of well-constructed socioeconomic policies. Policies should also be put in place to help those losing their jobs in the textile industry owing to external factors. Equally important, the authorities should consider implementing policies that will address an increasing gap between the rich and poor in the country. 8. GOOD AND BEST PRACTICES 1.113 The following are the Good and Best Practices identified in the report: • • • • • • Public Service Excellence Award. The role and powers of the ombudsperson for children. The Migrant Unit of the MLIRE. The treatment of senior citizens in Mauritius. Financing the budget deficit in Mauritius. Public-private sector partnerships. 2 - The Government programme for 2010-2015 was outlined in the June 8 2010 address to the National Assembly by The Right Honorable Sir Anerood Jugnauth, .President of Mauritius. 33