GLOBAL FORUM ON MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT (GFMD) 2012 SUMMIT MEETING ON

“Migration and Development: Common Ground and Partnerships in Action”

The Swami Vivekananda International Convention Center (SVICC)

Pailles, Port Louis, Mauritius,

21 November 2012

Honorable Ministers, Our Special Guest, Mr. Pascal Lamy Director-General of the WTO, Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General of Ministries responsible for Trade matters in ACP States, Excellency Ambassadors, Heads and representatives of ACP regional integration organizations, Distinguished participants, Ladies and gentlemen, 

Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General of Ministries responsible for Trade matters in ACP States; Excellency Ambassadors; Heads and representatives of ACP regional integration organizations; Distinguished participants; Ladies and gentlemen;

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you all to Belgium, Brussels and to ACP House, your House for this meeting of ACP Senior Trade Officials.

Honourable Ministers; Your Excellencies; Our friends of the Press; Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the ACP Secretariat, and in my own name, I welcome you all to ACP House – your own house.  This third meeting of the Ministers of Culture could not have come at a more opportune time.

Hon. Chairman of the Forum, Prime Minister Henry Puna of the Cook Islands, Honourable Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat,  your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I warmly thank you for the honour of addressing you at this 43rd Summit of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Your Excellency, Henry Puna, Hon. Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, and Chairman of the Pacific ACP Leaders Meeting,
Distinguished Leaders of the Pacific ACP Countries,
Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brussels, 30 July 2012: It was with much grief that we learned of the passing of H. E. Professor John Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana. At the time of his death on Tuesday 24^th July, the late President was the Chairman of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States by virtue of Ghana having hosted the Sixth Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government in October 2008.

Your Excellency, Hon. Dr. Kenny Davis Anthony, Prime Minister of St. Lucia and Chairman of the Caribbean Community,
Your Excellencies the Heads of Government,
Your Excellency, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of CARICOM,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

The President of Council, The Hon. Alva Baptiste,
Honourable Ministers,
Your Excellencies Ambassadors and Plenipotentiaries

Ladies and gentlemen

On my own behalf and on behalf of the ACP Secretariat, it is an honour and privilege to welcome you all to Port Vila. I want to thank the government and good people of Vanuatu for the very warm hospitality that they have extended to us. We cannot help but be impressed by the efforts that have gone into putting such excellent facilities at our disposal.

Introductory Remarks by ACP Secretary-General, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas at the Special Session of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors with United Nations Under Secretary General and UNDP Administrator on the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)
Thursday 10 May 2012, Brussels