International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Luwellyn Landers arrived in Papua New Guinea today, 29 May 2016, to attend the Ministerial Meeting of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, scheduled for 30 June 2016.

The meeting will be succeeded by the 8th ACP Summit on 31 May to 01 June 2016.

The main objectives of the ACP are: sustainable development of its Member States and their gradual integration into the global economy, which entails making poverty reduction a matter of priority; establishing a more equitable world order; consolidation of unity and solidarity among ACP States; and consolidation of peace and stability in a free and democratic society.

Of importance during the Summit will be the presentation of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Final Report, which will focus on the “Future of the ACP Post 2020” under the theme: “Repositioning the ACP Group to respond to the Challenges of Sustainable Development.”

A key element of South Africa’s South-South and North-South engagement is the ACP, which is the largest tri-continental association of developing countries.

It was created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975 and its 79 members comprise 48 sub-Saharan states, as well as 15 Pacific and 16 Caribbean states, totalling 920 million people.

The current Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA), signed with the European Union in 2000, expires in 2020 and unites more than half of the world’s nations. It is built on three pillars of (1) trade and economic cooperation, (2) development assistance (3) and political dialogue that focusses on issues such as human rights and democratic governance.

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of South Africa