MP chairs meet

FOREIGN Affairs and International Trade Minister Patrick Pruaitch chaired the 9th ACP Council of Ministers meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, over the weekend which delegates hailed as a historic turning point for the organisation.
The ACP Ministers approved the final draft of a complete review of the Georgetown Agreement, originally signed by 46 African Caribbean and Pacific nations in 1975.
The number of member countries has since grown to 79 with South Sudan’s impending membership to take it to 80 nations.
Delegates have hailed the 9th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government, which begins today, as the organisation’s readiness to emerge as an important “multilateral actor” on the world stage.
The ACP Council of Ministers, meeting at their 110th session since the formation of the group, endorsed the revamped Georgetown Agreement for approval by the Summit leaders.
Pruaitch said the new agreement, endorsed by the ACP Council of Ministers meeting that he was chairing, reflected this year’s conference theme, “A transformed ACP: Committed to Multilateralism”.
The ACP’s outgoing secretary-general, Dr Patrick Gomes, said the organisation’s goal of “sustainable development of all our people” through social, economic and environmental action provided a common bond for all member nations.
In line with the new aspirations, the grouping will change its official name to the Organisation of ACP states, to be known internationally as OACP.
“The Georgetown Agreement has served as a sacred document for four decades,” Gomes said.
In his opening address, Pruaitch said ACP “stands on the brink of a new era because today’s decisions is tomorrow’s reality.”
“At this critical juncture we still have to grapple with the drastic impacts of natural disasters resulting from climate change,” he said.
“We are optimistic that a new dawn is breaking and that peace, stability, good economic governance as well as sustainable development become an achievable goal set out in the Georgetown Agreement.”