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.

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The event for which we are gathered this evening takes place in the year that makes the milestone 40^th Anniversary of the creation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States by the Georgetown Agreement on June 6, 1975.

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Permit me to begin by expressing how deeply honoured I am for the privilege of addressing this noble and august 100^th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers. I warmly welcome you all to ACP House, which is, indeed, your House!

Let me also extend a warm hand of welcome to our Special Guest, H. E. Mr. Li Yong, Director-General of UNIDO who has graciously agreed to address Council on the topic Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development.

Mr. Chairman; Distinguished Participants; Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to have been invited to participate in this Conference on Ebola and Global Governance, particularly at this time as the international community battles the containment of the recent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa.

Excellencies, Ambassadors and Representatives of ACP Embassies and Missions, Representatives from the European Commission, Representatives from International Organisations, Managers from the various Project Management Units, Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,