Brussels, 21/11/2019/ACP: Heads of State of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States will meet to consider the key developmental challenges facing the six ACP regions and chart a course for greater sustainability and economic self-sufficiency at the 9th ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government, themed “A Transformed ACP Committed to Multilateralism” at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya from 6-10 December 2019.

Prior to the Summit, the Council of Ministers will meet on the 6-7 December to discuss important aspects for the future of the Group. Among the items tabled for debate are the appointment of the new Secretary General for the period 2020 to 2025 and the revision of the ACP Group’s constitutive act, the Georgetown Agreement. The candidacy for the post of the Secretary General is done on a rotating basis among the six ACP regions. The new secretary general will be selected from the Southern African region which was charged with the implementation of a vetting process to shortlist suitable candidates for the post. The three candidates submitted for consideration by the Bureau of the Council as a result of this process are Ambassador Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, from the Republic of Angola; Ambassador Dr Brave Rona Ndisale, from the Republic of Malawi and Ambassador Tadeous T. Chifamba, from the Republic of Zimbabwe.

The ACP Council of Ministers at their 105th session mandated a review of the Georgetown Agreement in an effort to adapt the ACP Group to its new vision and objective of becoming a global player and repositioning itself for the Post-Cotonou period. The revised Agreement will be presented for adoption at the 110th Meeting of the Council on 6 December 2019.

The ACP ministers will also address administrative and financial matters pertaining to the Secretariat of the ACP Group as well as proposals linked to development finance to ensure the sustainability of the Group.

The Summit of Heads of State and Government, is the supreme organ of the ACP Group. During the Summit, Heads of State will also endorse the outcome of the negotiations for the new ACP-EU Partnership Agreement which began in September 2018. To date four rounds of negotiations have been concluded and a new Agreement is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

For more information on the Summit, visit the Summit webpage at http://www.acpsummit.co.ke/.