By JAMES MUYANWA –
THE African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries should speak with one voice to strengthen their position on global platforms.
The countries should champion common economic causes in the global community of nations and demonstrate maturity having been working together for 40 years now.
ACP Group of States Secretary General Patrick Gomes said that the ACP member countries were bound together by their common belief in
solidarity.
Dr Gomes said this at the 101st session of the ACP Council of ministers’ meeting in Brussels recently.
“But I wish to submit that in many aspects, we have a comparative institutional advantage, one that has been successful in converging disparate geographical, cultural, linguistic and historical differences into a group, bound as we are by common notions of solidarity.
“This should give us the conviction to speak with one voice in the global community of nations and to demonstrate the maturing self-confidence and self-determination that we possess,” he said.
He said at 40, the ACP was now in position to deepen its unique strengths to transform the region into a key player at international fora.
It should now play leading roles in issues like global trade, sustainable development, climate change, poverty eradication, women’s empowerment and youth entrepreneurship.
Among the ACP’s strong factors is the membership of 79 countries transcending three continents, with a total population of 700 million people or 14 per cent of the global inhabitants.
The ACP region is home to middle income and least developed countries, small island developing states, as well as landlocked countries.
According to Dr Gomes the mix represented the largest international platform for developing countries.
Another ACP’s positive factor is its track record of contributions towards the international trade negotiations and other international issues.
This is consolidated by the experience in north-south cooperation with the European Union (EU) and the south-south cooperation among member countries.
“Looking ahead, we reaffirm our unflinching commitment towards taking the necessary steps to strengthen and deepen the cooperation and interaction among ACP member states…” Dr Gomes said.