Brussels, 6 March 2018 /IFAD/ACP: The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), H.E Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, was received by the ACP Secretary General H.E Dr. Patrick Gomes and the ACP Committee of Ambassadors, as part of a strengthening of cooperation between the two organizations.
As the ACP Group and IFAD share common development priorities, the meeting was an opportunity for both institutions to widen and deepen their relationships in line with agenda 2030 and sustainable development goals.
As Mr. Houngbo mentioned in his statement, “The countries of the ACP are also IFAD Member States. We share common development priorities, and there is also an alignment between the strategic approaches that we have adopted. The work of IFAD and of the ACP in supporting sustainable development, including for some of the marginalized areas and vulnerable communities in the world, shows that multilateral partnerships are key to solving some of the world’s most urgent problems.”
The Chairperson of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors,
Her Excellency Mrs. Sheila Sealy Monteith, Ambassador of Jamaica, also recalled that “IFAD as an organization continues to impact directly on the livelihoods and welfare of ACP citizens. For example, in West and Central Africa, 23 countries – all of them ACP Member States – have received 1.2 billion US Dollars in IFAD funding. Similarly, in East and Southern Africa, a total of 16 countries- again all of them ACP Member states – have benefited from 2 billion US Dollars worth of IFAD funding.”
The meeting also provided a platform of discussion for the IFAD President and several ACP Officials and Ambassadors on the particular measures and efforts that are taken by IFAD in order to help ACP countries cope with climate change issues, food security and youth unemployment among others.
H.E Mr. Houngbo, former Prime Minister of Togo from 2018 to 2012, is indeed very familiar with ACP issues and is no stranger to ACP House. As prime Minister he led the Togolese delegation to the 6th Summit of ACP Heads of States and Government held in Accra, Ghana, on 2nd and 3rd October 2008.
(Photos from top: ACP Secretary General Dr. Patrick Gomes and IFAD President H.E Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo; IFAD President H.E Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo and Chairperson of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors, H.E. Mrs. Sheila Sealy Monteith, Ambassador of Jamaica)
-ACP Press