Chad takes over presidency of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors

The ACP Committee of Ambassadors, the second tier, decision-making organ of the ACP Group, will be presided over by the Ambassador of Chad, H.E Mrs. Ammo Aziza Baroud for the period 1 August 2018 – 31 January 2019.

Ambassador Ammo Aziza Baroud took over from the outgoing President, Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith of Jamaica, on Tuesday 31 July 2018 at the ACP Secretariat headquarters. Chad concurrently assumes the Presidency of the ACP Council of Ministers. This task is entrusted to the Chadian Minister of Economy and Development Planning, His Excellency Issa Doubragne.

The Chadian presidency will have several important issues to deal with, high on the list being the negotiations on a renewed partnership with the European Union. The current ACP-EU framework, known as the Cotonou Agreement, expires in February 2020, and negotiations for a successor Agreement are expected to begin in earnest in October 2018.

Ambassador Aziza Baroud will also chair a new ACP Bureau of six regional coordinators, along with the Troika. The Bureau is responsible for coordinating the work of the Committee of Ambassadors.

Members of the incoming Bureau include: The Ambassador of Kenya, H.E Prof Jacob T. Kaimenyi (East Africa), Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire H.E Mr. Dosso Abou (West Africa), Ambassador of the Republic of Congo, H.E Mr. Léon Raphaël Mokoko (Central Africa), Ambassador of Angola, H.E Mr. Georges Rebelo Chikoti (Southern Africa), Ambassador of Barbados H.E Ms. Joy-Ann Skinner (Caribbean) and the Ambassador of Tonga H.E Hon Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tuita Kaho (Pacific).

The Troika is comprised of the current, the immediate past and the next Chairs of the Committee, namely the Ambassadors of Chad, Jamaica, and the Ambassador of Namibia H.E Dr. Kaire Mbuende, respectively.

The Committee of Ambassadors is an important decision-making body of the ACP Group of States, comprising of one representative from each of its 79 member countries. It meets at least one a month in Brussels to monitor the implementation of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, and carry out any mandate tasked to it by the ACP Council of Ministers. Much of its work is carried out through six technical sub-committees (on Political, Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs; Trade and Commodities; Investment and the Private Sector; Sustainable Development; Financing and Development; and Establishment and Finance), as well as ad-hoc working groups and task forces.