Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, says Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) are set to approve the Revised Georgetown Agreement, which will transform the ACP grouping to respond to the challenges of the 21st Century.
The 110th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers Meeting gets underway in Nairobi, Kenya, 6 – 8 December, to be followed by the Summit of Heads of State and Government, 9 – 10 December.
The Minister noted that the primary goal of this strategic move is to transform the ACP Group into a more formal international organisation. She asserted that, “this will raise the profile of the ACP in the multilateral arena, giving it a greater degree of prominence than that of a ‘Group’.”
Johnson Smith noted that the revision of the Georgetown Agreement, which is the framework agreement of ACP Group of States, “is particularly important for Jamaica, which contributed significantly to the review process which began in 2018”. The transformed ACP will also be better positioned to build bridges with other states and groups of states.
Johnson Smith signalled that the ACP Ministerial Council will set the stage for the ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held under the theme “A Transformed ACP: Committed to Multilateralism”. The Minister will provide support to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who will lead Jamaica’s delegation to the Summit, 9-10 December.
The Minister further advised that the Council will provide an update on the status of ACP/EU Post-Cotonou negotiations, which are scheduled to conclude in the first half of 2020.
Minister Johnson Smith will also speak to the issue of the empowerment of Women and Youth in ACP Member States at a high-level Forum, to be convened in the margins on the Council meeting.
The ACP Group was established in 1975, with poverty eradication and the facilitation of sustainable development among Member States as its principal objectives.
