The 8th Summit of Heads of State of Government of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group concluded today with a renewed commitment to rally together to contribute more effectively to the global development agenda, and bring about concrete action on the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this vein, leaders made pronouncements in the Port Moresby Declaration on the areas of peace and stability, culture, gender equity, sustainable economic development, trade, and climate change. Issues of development finance and global governance were also cited.

Peace & security, migration

ACP leaders in the Port Moresby Declaration stated their concern by the escalation of terrorist attacks in some member states, and underscored the central role of regional integration organisations and the importance of intra-ACP cooperation in promoting architectures of regional peace and security. They urged more systematic implementation of the Framework and General Principles for enhanced Intra-ACP Political Dialogue in this regard.

ACP leaders condemned all acts of terrorism, piracy and transnational crime, including human trafficking and smuggling of migrants and pledged to cooperate against such threats and taking coercive measures against the perpetrators of such acts.

Leaders also highlighted the link between migration and development, and underlined the vital contribution of the ACP-EU Dialogue on Migration and Development to the global discourse.

Culture, women, youth

The Summit recognised the value of ACP countries’ rich cultural heritage and underlined the need to place culture at the heart of development policies and strategies, given that cultural industries are not only sources of employment and innovation, but also vectors of peace, social cohesion and sustainable human development.

The Summit committed to progressively reducing social and wealth inequalities by strengthening national social protection systems and supporting families to have access to enough food, invest in productive activities, and overcome financial and social barriers to health and education. On health, the Summit called for universal health coverage and accessible health systems, while committing to tackling communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Leaders highlighted women’s advancement and called for a strong collaboration with all stakeholders to jointly address gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as the need to help women’s organisations in ACP countries to boost organisational and operational capacities.

They reaffirmed their commitment to harnessing the potential of youth through empowerment, quality education, health and decent work. Leaders committed to continue prioritising funds for youth entrepreneurship programmes, vocations skills training, research, science and technology, and ICTs.

Energy, environment

The Summit also deliberated on environmental challenges to ACP member states, particularly the adverse impacts of climate change and lack of access to energy. Leaders called for the removal of barriers as well as technology transfer, developing the capacity of ACP entrepreneurs in the energy sector, and facilitating access to finance, and investment in renewable energy in ACP countries.

The Summit underlined the green economy and blue economy as crucial tools for attaining sustainable development in ACP countries, including the importance of sustainable fisheries management. Leaders welcomed the established of a special forum for Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) within the ACP Group, recognised the specific challenges faced by SIDS, including climate change.

The Summit noted with concern the territorial and maritime border disputes faced by Guyana, Belize as well as Mauritius, and called on all nations to negotiate in good faith when defining maritime boundaries, and to ensure that Small Island States are granted the sovereign rights in line with international law. 

Trade, development finance and global governance

The Summit welcomed the important contribution of the European Development Fund towards development programmes in ACP states and regions, and encouraged further cooperation with the EU in identifying other sources for financing the SDGs.

Leaders called for a conference to be organised, with the support of the European Commission along with the United Nations and other international financial institutions, on strategies for development financing, in particular financing multiannual development programmes for ACP countries, and the intensification of South-South and Triangular Cooperation to build productive capacities of ACP countries. At the same time, the Summit also called on developed countries that have not yet done so to honour their developed aid commitments.

The Summit deplored illicit financial flows and the haemorrhage of financial resources from ACP member states through all forms of capital flight, in particular, tax evasion schemes of multinational enterprises. At the same time ACP leaders deplored the European Commission on its Communication on a “Fair and Efficient Tax System in the European Union”, unjustifiably listing 15 ACP states as non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, causing severe damage to the financial sectors of these states.

The Summit called on the EU to immediately withdraw the list and refrain from issuing such publications in the future.

On trade, the Summit reaffirmed full commitment to conclude the Doha Development Agenda of the World Trade Organisation. ACP leaders expressed their deep concern at the negative consequences of trade pacts outside the WTO system being negotiated by the EU and other partners, while also urging more intra-ACP trade as a way to address preference erosion for ACP trade.

Finally, the ACP Summit reaffirmed its confidence in multilateralism as a major instrument in global political, economic and financial governance. Leaders support continued democratisation of the institutional architecture of multilateralism, including the UN bodies and Bretton Woods institutions. The ACP Group is actively seeking observer status for the President of the Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government and the ACP Secretary General in major international fora of strategic interest to the ACP.

The Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government is the highest political organ of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, which brings together 79 member states under the common pursuit of poverty eradication and sustainable development.

---

ACP targets transformed global role for future

The future of the 79-member African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States will be anchored on a commitment to South-South solidarity and increased effectiveness in the global arena, a streamlined mandate that adds value to global efforts, and concrete steps towards financial sustainability.

Leaders convening  in Papua New Guinea for the 8th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government outlined a new outlook for the Group, based on deliberations on the Final Report of the ACP Eminent Persons Group (EPG), as well as the Report by the Council of Ministers to Summit.

The Summit accepted the EPG report, with an implementation plan expected by the end of 2016, subject to further analysis at national and regional levels.

“The Summit adopted the Port Moresby Declaration that captures the main outcomes of the leaders’ discussions, and the Waigani Communiqué that sets the way forward for the future of the ACP Group beyond the expiry of the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement in 2020… I believe this Summit has inspired us to take the giant steps in our approach that will shape and transform the ACP Group into a more dynamic force,” stated the President of the 8thACP Summit, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Rt. Hon. Peter O’Neill.

The Waigani Communiqué reaffirmed the vision that the ACP Group take a lead role in efforts to improve the living standards of its citizens through good governance, promoting trade and investment particularly at the intra-ACP level, entrepreneurship and building capacity in the private sector, access to technology, and South-South, North-South and Triangular Cooperation.

Noting the ‘urgent need for reform’ in the organisation, leaders discussed how to streamline the Group’s mandate to be more results-oriented and people-focused. This includes restructuring of the Brussels-based ACP Secretariat.

The Summit also agreed on the need for the Group to work towards improving financial self-sufficiency, including the establishment of a Long Term Endowment Fund.

“While building consensus amongst 79 member countries can be a challenge, there is a clear and compelling need for an organisation that promotes the interests of developing countries, especially Least Developed Countries, Small Islands Developing States, and Landlocked Developing Countries, which make up the bulk of the ACP membership.

“Common needs concerning trade and development, climate change, and access to energy and technology can be addressed together, building on each others’ expertise and knowledge and pushing for the same causes at the global level,” said Assistant Secretary General of the ACP Group in charge of Political Affairs and Human Development, Amb. Léonard Ognimba.

Post-Cotonou ACP-EU relations

A key concern for the ACP Group is the upcoming negotiations on the follow up partnership framework with the European Union. Current relations between African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the EU bloc in terms of trade, political dialogue and development cooperation, are governed by the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement. As the expiration of the Agreement approaches in 2020, negotiations to shape a post-Cotonou partnership are expected to begin in 2018.

The Summit expressed its determination to renew and enhance the ACP-EU partnership with a legally-binding agreement, building on the experience and gains obtained under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement.

The Summit resolved to jointly identify issues of common interest with EU partners to ensure that the ACP-EU cooperation takes into account the implementation of SDGs, promotion of regional trade and integration, financing for development, and other identified priorities.

At the same time, ACP leaders committed to jointly exploring additional forms of development finance such as public-private partnerships, domestic resource mobilisation, and the reduction and recovery of illicit financial flows from ACP countries.

Outcomes of the meeting will be forwarded to the United Nations Secretary General, the President of the European Council, ACP regional integration organisations, as well as other international bodies and all development partners.