GENEVA, Switzerland, 11 July 2019 (CMC): The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group is warning of “grave implications” for its members as it expressed concern at the “arbitrary adoption” of measures by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that negatively affect developing countries and go against the principles of facilitating development through trade.

Brussels, 1^st July 2019

The EU and Mercosur announced the conclusion of a free trade agreement on 28 June 2019, twenty years in the making, now subject to "legal scrubbing" and possibly minor adjustments.

The ACP Group deeply regrets that it was not consulted fully on the context and content of this Free Trade Agreement as per Article 12 of the Cotonou Agreement. 

The next Global Review of Aid for Trade will take place at the WTO under the theme “Supporting Economic Diversification and Empowerment for Inclusive, Sustainable Development through Aid for Trade”. The Event will take place at the WTO headquarters in Geneva from 3 to 5 July 2019.

On 24 June 2019, BIOPAMA launched the first call for proposals for medium grants (up to € 400 000) in the frame of its "Action component", which provides funding opportunities to address protected and conserved areas, sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resource priorities for actions on the ground in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).

By adopting a landscape approach, these actions will also contribute to enhancing local livelihoods through sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem services as well as increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The Secretary General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, Dr Patrick I. Gomes met with the recently-reelected President of the Republic of Senegal, The Honourable Macky Sall on Day one of the European Development Days (EDDs) in Brussels, Belgium. Dr Gomes congratulated the President on his recent re-election and assured him of the ACP Group’s continued support. He then expressed his profound appreciation for the leadership that Senegal has consistently played in advancing the strategic priorities of the ACP Group for the new partnership agreement with the European Union (EU).

Brussels 27 June 2019/ACP: The next Brussels Development Briefing n. 56 on The Land-Water-Energy nexus and the Sustainability of the Food System organised by CTA, the European Commission/EuropeAid, the ACP Secretariat and Concord will be held on 3rd of July 2019, 9h00-13h00 at the ACP Secretariat, Avenue Georges Henri 451, 1200 Brussels, Room C.

A delegation from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States led by Henrique Banze, Assistant Secretary General of the Macroeconomics, Development finance and Intra-ACP Programming  was in Paramaribo, Suriname from 28 to 30 May to carry out the last in the series of seminars with the National and Regional Authorising Officers across the six ACP regions.