Brussels, 29 July 2021/OACPS: In support of the preparations for the upcoming 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), which will take place in Angola in 2022, and Angola’s six-month chairmanship of the OACPS Committee of Ambassadors from 1 August 2021, the OACPS Secretariat hosted a two-day Seminar for senior officials from various Angolan ministries and institutions as well as economic operators and civil society representatives, on 26 to 27 July 2021.

Nearly 100 participants joined the virtual sessions to learn more about the work of the OACPS. Presentations also included, the new Partnership Agreement, initialled by the Chief Negotiators on 15 April 2021 and the European Union’s (EU) new multi-annual financing framework, (MFF) for 2021-2027, which includes the new Neighbourhood, Development andInternationalCooperation Instrument (NDICI) or ‘Global Europe’, which has replaced the European Development Fund (EDF).

In his closing remarks Dr Ibrahim Norbert Richard, Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Political Affairs and Human Development at the OACPS Secretariat, stated that, “We have reaffirmed our commitment, to support Angola as they take the helm of the OACPS Council of Ministers and thereafter President-in-Office of the 10th Summit… We believe that the presentations shared during the past two-days, provided further understanding of the work of the OACPS, and how Angola as a Member State can take advantage of the various opportunities presented.”

The seminar reviewed in detail the Revised Georgetown Agreement, which is the Constitutive Act of the OACPS. During the ensuing discussions it became evident that Members of the OACPS should acquaint themselves with the new initiatives under the Revised Georgetown Agreement, such as the work of the consultative and subsidiary organs.

Deliberating on the new OACPS-EU Partnership Agreement, participants were informed of the very recent decision by the European Union (EU) to have a mixed agreement, and the steps to be taken prior to signing the agreement, hopefully by the end of November 2021, the expiry date of the current Cotonou Agreement.

On the NDICI, the Seminar received a comprehensive presentation with an advisory on the need for consultations with the Head of the EU Delegation in Luanda, Angola, particularly with respect to the provision of targetted training on procedures for all potential stakeholders on NDICI, as well as holding seminars about the NDICI-Global Europe at national levels in order to sensitize all potential stakeholder.

Concerning the OACPS-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), one of the joint institutions in which Member States have a key role to play, the opportunity was highlighted for Angola’s Members of Parliament to actively engage during the process of establishing the Regional Parliament Assemblies and the ongoing process of drafting the JPA Rules of Procedure.

Participants agreed that the Seminar was timely and relevant in view of the leadership role that Angola will play in the work of the OACPS. H.E. Mário de Azevedo Constantino, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Angola in Brussels, on behalf of the Angolan expressed his great satisfaction with the seminar, and commended the high number and excellent contribution of the Angolan participants.