Welcoming Statement by His Excellency Sir John KAPUTIN Secretary-General of the ACP Group of States during the Meeting of the Senior Trade Officials at the ACP House, Brussels on 11 November 2009
Permanent Secretaries,
Excellency Ambassadors,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning.
My task, to bid you welcome, is simple but pleasant. It is with pleasure that I welcome to Belgium, Brussels and to ACP House for this meeting of the ACP Senior Trade Officials.
I am happy to see many high ranking government officials and Ambassadors, some from Geneva others from the capitals, representing a broad cross-section of the ACP Group. We are aware of the many meetings that are taking place in your regions and the fact that scheduling meetings has become a nightmare. Therefore, we can not take for granted your presence at this meeting, which we greatly appreciate. Indeed, it is a clear testimony of the importance that your countries attach to the issues that are before you, for your deliberation today and tomorrow.
Distinguished participants,
We have invited you to gather here today so that you can prepare for the meeting of ACP Ministers of Trade scheduled to be held tomorrow and Friday. The main objective of your meeting is to prepare a common position that the ACP Group will take in respect of the forthcoming Seventh Session of the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization.
Useful background work has been carried out in preparation for today’s meeting. Necessary documents have been drafted and assembled to inform and guide your work.
I am informed that a fruitful preparatory brainstorming meeting of high level participants took place in Geneva on 2 November 2009. The meeting was organized by the ACP Geneva Office with the collaboration and support of the Commonwealth Secretariat. May I take this opportunity to acknowledge those efforts and thank the Commonwealth Secretariat for their usual cooperation and support to the ACP Group.
I would also thank other cooperating partners of the ACP for their contribution to the preparatory process for this meeting. I have in mind the WTO, UNCTAD, South Centre, and International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development as well as the WTI Advisors - the team commissioned to provide technical assistance to the ACP Geneva Group in the negotiations of the Doha Round.
It would be remiss of me if I did not also recognize the coordination and collaborative spirit existing between the ACP Group and both the Group of Least Developed Countries and the Africa Union including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. I thank the Coordinators of these Groups for their hard work and assistance. Last but certainly not the least, I thank the Coordinator of the ACP Group in Geneva, Amb. Servansingh of Mauritius, who has provided the requisite leadership and carried out his tasks with efficiency and dedication. Although he has been unable to join us for the meetings this week, due to other engagements, he is ably and well represented by Amb. Maruping of Lesotho, whom I should also thank for availing himself to serve the ACP Group.
Distinguished participants
The agenda before you is loaded. You will consider a number of issues that address the theme and agenda of the 7th WTO Ministerial Conference. These include a review of WTO activities, including the Doha Work Programme, and a consideration of WTO’s contribution to recovery, growth and development. This is necessary in the light of existing economic and financial crisis that has caused great turbulence in our economies. It is therefore proper that you will also be called upon to make recommendations on how to strengthen the WTO to fully serve the interests and address the concerns of Groups of States such as the ACP.
You are also expected to examine two areas for decision by the WTO Ministerial Conference, namely on TRIPS non-violation complaints and Electronic-Commerce. I understand that some progress has been made on these in Geneva. Thereafter, we expect that you will consider and approve the draft ACP Declaration on the 7th WTO Ministerial Conference.
Distinguished participants
A discussion on trade in the ACP circles can not take place without addressing the issue of EPAs. The negotiations of EPAs which commenced in September 2002 are still with us. Except for the CARIFORUM (with the exception of Haiti), no other ACP region has completed the negotiations. As I had the occasion to mention to the ACP Technical Follow-up Group on EPA Negotiation and Implementation, the EPAs are still posing a great challenge not only at the All ACP level but also at regional and national levels. The conclusions of the Technical Follow-up Group have been given to you, so that you could examine them and draw necessary recommendations for Ministers.
You will also have the chance to analyze the procedure for notifying and defending EPAs in the WTO. I have seen that a 50 page manual has been placed before you and I can imagine that the ACP States concerned will have a monumental task of dealing with this issue at the WTO.
The other important item that features on your agenda relates to the second five-year revision of the trade aspects of the Cotonou Agreement. Your meeting will be updated on the progress made so far on this subject. The main issue is the increased focus being given to support to regional integration in the ACP States, following the conclusion of the three strategy papers EU-Africa, EU-Caribbean and EU-Pacific.
According to the programme, you will be expected to finish the examination of the substantive agenda items today building on the good work carried out in Geneva on 2 November. Tomorrow morning is set aside for the approval of the report to Ministers including the draft Ministerial Declaration.
Therefore, I do not intend to take too much of your valuable time, I simply want to once again welcome you and wish you a successful meeting.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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