[Protocols]

I am delighted to welcome you to the fourth meeting of the ACP Ministers in charge of Fisheries and Aquaculture being held here at the ACP Secretariat. I particularly welcome the Honourable Ministers who are joining us today for this segment of after your officials have done such extensive work despite it being a holiday yesterday.

Please feel at home here in Brussels, here at your House amongst the ACP family.

[Protocols]

I wish to thank you for another opportunity to be with you for this series of your meetings. I count it an honour and privilege to interact with our elected representatives from across the length and breadth of the ACP Membership. 

I thank you very much for the opportunity bring afforded to address you for the first time as Secretary-General of the ACP Group of States. As the President has stated, I have been keenly following the work of your Assembly and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly for some time now – a decade to be precise. The parliamentarians have always been a source of inspiration – in particular, I recall a phrase used by the representative from Uganda – that the ACP now has a GPS to set our direction.

Mr. President,

Thank you for the opportunity to address you on this auspicious occasion – the celebration of international women’s day. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Secretariat for organising this event, in particular, the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Human Development, Mme. Michèle Dominique Raymond, who has taken the lead in organising this event for the past 4 years.