The Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Council of Ministers conveyed their full support for a process to bring the world’s longest-standing North-South cooperation framework into line with the globally adopted Sustainable Development Agenda towards 2030.

Following the 41st session of the Joint Council held on the 28th and 29th April in Dakar, Senegal, ministers from member countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) along with counterparts from the European Union (EU) agreed to deepen talks on the issue and continue coordination at the technical level, in the run-up to important global meetings this year.

The ACP-EU partnership framework brings together 78 ACP and 28 EU member states in a legally binding agreement that covers trade, development cooperation, and political dialogue. This includes €31.5 billion allocated in the 11th European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020, to assist ACP countries in fighting poverty and promoting sustainable economic development at national, regional, and all-ACP levels.

“For more than 40 years the ACP Group and the EU have shared the same vision for a fruitful partnership, and orienting our cooperation towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will bring an added value to global efforts. We look forward to taking concrete steps towards harmonising our positions in this regard,” said Co-President H.E. Mr. Léon Raphaël Mokoko, Minister of Planning and Integration of the Republic of Congo.

“The integrated, indivisible and universal nature of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must be maintained. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda on means of implementation, including financing, is an important part of this discussion. The ACP-EU cooperation is indeed a significant element to implement the renewed global partnership,” said Co-President Ms. Lilianne Ploumen, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands.

Other important discussions during the Joint Council meeting included those on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the follow up to the Paris Agreement. The ACP-EU Council Co-Presidents urged the timely signature and swift ratification of the Paris Agreement, in order to bring about full implementation by all Parties.

On the issue of migration, it was agreed that the ACP-EU Dialogue on Migration mechanism be leveraged further to ensure it addresses key issues raised in the Valetta Summit.

The meeting also covered matters related to development finance, trade cooperation, private sector development, and the EU’s global strategy on foreign policy and security. Participants held fruitful discussions on shaping the future framework for ACP-EU partnership after 2020. 

The next meeting of the ACP-EU Joint Council of Ministers will be held in 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.

ACP Press Office