Op-ed by Mr. Viwanou Gnassounou, ACP Assisant Secretary General for Sustainable Economic Development and Trade

Brussels, 12 September 2017/ ACP: Fish is big business. The latest figures show that more than 165 million tonnes of fish are either captured or harvested in a year, with each person consuming more than 20kg of fish annually, according to the world average.

Apia, Samoa, 8 September 2017/ ACP: A robust surveillance system to monitor activities in Pacific countries’ territorial waters is not only a key security issue, it is an essential sustainable development concern.   

Speaking to leaders and high level representatives of the region, the Secretary General of the ACP Group of States Dr. Patrick Gomes welcomed Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) as a response strategy and a “precondition” to improved ocean governance.

Brussels, 5 September 2017/ ACP: Heads of Pacific ACP governments are moving forward with groundwork on negotiations for a renewed trading, development and political partnership with the European Union, as part of the larger African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States.

Brussels, 17 July 2017, 2017/ ACP: The Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau and President of the Council of Ministers H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo (left) paid a courtesy call on the ACP Secretary General H.E. Dr. Patrick Gomes at the ACP Secretariat in Brussels.           

Geneva, 11 July 2017/ CSec/ ACP: African, Caribbean and Pacific countries stand to benefit from an extension of the innovative Hub and Spokes II Programme, which is a joint initiative of the European Union, ACP Group, Commonwealth Secretariat and Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, aimed at boosting trade and prosperity in ACP countries.

Brussels, 10 July 2017/ ACP: The President of the Republic of Cabo Verde H.E Dr. Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca called on all ACP Member States to engage effectively in discussions leading up to the negotiations with the European Union for a new partnership framework after 2020.

Brussels, 27 June 2017/ ACP/ UNCTAD: The Joint African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) - UNCTAD Guiding Principles for Investment Policymaking were approved by the ACP Committee of Ambassadors meeting in Brussels.

Brussels, 15 June 2017/ ACP: A new policy approach to commodities is expected to focus efforts by the ACP Secretariat and its partners, in order to reap maximum impact in the transformation of the agricultural commodities sector in ACP regions.

Brussels, 15 June 2017/ ACP: Success stories of the ACP Commodities Programme launched in 2015/2016 were showcased in a special information session held yesterday on 12 June 2017 at the ACP Secretariat, highlighting best practices and opportunies for farmers and villages to improve productivity, income and skills.