In 2007, considering the overlap in the extended Continental Shelves of Seychellesand Mauritius in the Mascarene Plateau Region, the two Governments resolved to make a joint submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). Dedicated teams from the two countries worked arduously, with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat throughout 2007 and 2008, and on 01 December 2008 lodged the Joint Submission. In accordance with the normal procedures of the CLCS, a Sub-Commission was appointed in 2009, under the chairmanship of the late Professor Kensaku Tamaki, to examine the Joint Submission. Again technical teams worked together to defend the Joint Submission, and in March 2011, the CLCS made recommendations, confirming the joint jurisdiction of Mauritius and Seychelles over 396,000 km2 of seabed and subsoil of the extended continental shelf beyond their respective EEZ.

In 2012, our two countries entered into a Treaty providing for the joint management of the area and the sharing of the revenue from the resources on an equal basis. In that context, a fiscal framework, a model petroleum agreement, as well as relevant codes and guidelines for the different activities in the joint area have been elaborated. Mauritius and Seychelles have also signed a joint declaration on the  in the area.

This is the first such declaration signed by two Island States.

We invite stakeholders to have a close look at the immense potential that the JMA
represents in terms of hydrocarbon, minerals and other resources and urge them to
seize this unique opportunity to invest in the JMA.