Brussels, 09 September 2019: In a wide-ranging interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), ACP Secretary General, Dr. Patrick I. Gomes opined that the recent visit of Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, to the Caribbean could help boost the region’s participation at the December 9-10 ACP Summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Brussels, 04 September 2019: Dr Pendo Maro, team leader of the Intra-ACP GCCA+ Programme – an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group funded by the European Development Fund (EDF) – recently chaired a panel discussion on the progress and successes of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the Caribbean region during the Regional Dialogue on NDCs for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Regional Dialogue was held on 19 to 20 August during the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week 2019 (LACCW), from 19 to 23 August in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil.

Brussels, 03 September 2019/ACP: The next Brussels Development Briefing n. 57 on “Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security and nutrition” organised by CTA, the European Commission/EuropeAid and the ACP Secretariat will be held on Wednesday 11th September 2019, 9h00-13h00 at the ACP Secretariat, Avenue Georges Henri 451, 1200 Brussels, Room C. The Briefing will discuss smallholder agriculture and its key role in delivering food security/nutrition, and sustainable food systems, as recognised in SDG 2.

At the conclusion of the 50^th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Pacific leaders issued a Forum Communiqué and the ‘Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Change Now’ – the strongest collective statement the Forum has issued on climate change. The PIF took place from 13-16 August 2019 in Funafuti, Tuvalu, with the theme of “Securing our future in the Pacific”.

Equatorial Guinea and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States took a significant step forward to establish the ACP Information Centre for South-South and Triangular Cooperation when they signed the Headquarters Agreement on 9 August 2019 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The Signing Ceremony followed the symbolic launch of the Centre last year in Malabo on 5 October. The Centre will be the first ACP permanent representation in an ACP Member State.

See below for the Address by ACP Secretary General, H.E. Patrick I. Gomes at the Signing Ceremony.

Brussels, 08 August 2019: The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States has announced that the 9^th ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government will take place from 9 to 10 December 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. The Summit is themed “A Transformed ACP: Committed to Multilateralism” and will be preceded by Ministerial Sessions from 6 to 8 December at the same venue.

Brussels 6 August 2019/ACP: The ACP Group of States was recently invited to give evidence before the House of Commons International Trade Select Committee to speak about the movement of natural persons in the delivery of temporary services (Mode 4 of services supply). 

Assistant Secretary General, Sustainable Economic Development and Trade, Mr. Viwanou Gnassounou recently participated in the 5^th Edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Forum, held from 26-27 July in Abuja, Nigeria. ASG Gnassounou was a panelist in a plenary session on Africapitalism which aimed to show the difference between good business practice and philanthropy; illustrate the government’s role in creating an enabling environment and give insight into how business leaders and policymakers see their roles in Africa’s sustainable development.