ACP Heads of State meet in Khartoum 7-8 December

Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 27 October 2006

ACP Heads of State and Government will meet in Khartoum (Sudan)
on 7 and 8 December for their 5th Summit

The 5th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group) will be held in Khartoum, Sudan, on 7 and 8 December around the theme “United for peace, solidarity and sustainable development”. The Summit will provide the opportunity to take stock of the implementation of the Maputo Declaration which was adopted in 2004 and to redefine political guidelines for the Group in the face of a rapidly changing world order.

During the meeting, the Heads of State and Government will discuss the situation in the six ACP regions with regard to peace, security and stability. The Summit will examine the mechanisms for strengthening intra-ACP cooperation and will define the relevant guidelines. The leaders will also discuss the progress of the negotiations for the Economic Partnership Agreements due to come into force in 2008.

In addition, new developments in the international arena and the major reform of European Union policy have led the ACP Group to reposition itself in order to pursue its aspirations as expressed in its founding Charter, the Georgetown Agreement. Following the reflections held by the ACP Ambassadors and Ministers, it is now the turn of the Heads of State and Government to exchange views on the future of the Group and to define the necessary guidelines.

A business forum will be organized in the margins of the Summit, on Wednesday 6 December. Companies from developed and developing countries will share their new and innovative ideas and practical solutions, and avail themselves of the occasion to develop new partnerships.

The 5th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government will be preceded by the 84th session of the ACP Council of Ministers on 3 and 4 December 2006, and the joint meeting of the Council of Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs scheduled for 5 and 6 December 2006.

• The Summit of Heads of State and Government is the supreme organ of the ACP Group. It defines the broad orientations of the Group. Since 1997, it has regularly brought together the Heads of State and Government of the Member States to define the major thrust of the general policy of the Group. It also issues directives to the Council of Ministers for implementation.

• Previous ACP Summits :
Gabon (1997) ; Dominican Republic (1999) ; Fiji (2002) ; Mozambique (2004)

• For more information, http://www.5thacpsummit.gov.sd/