Brussels, 5 March 2020/ACP: The ACP Group of States is one step closer to becoming the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) following the signing of the revised Georgetown Agreement by the Republic of Angola. Since the approval of the revised Georgetown Agreement at the 110^th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers, and subsequent endorsement by ACP Heads of State and Government at the 9^th Summit in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2019, Member States were invited to sign or ratify the revised Agreement. Following today’s signing by H.E. Mr. Manuel Domingos Augusto, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, the requisite number of signatures – one third of the total number of ACP Member States – has been achieved.

The revised Georgetown Agreement will enter into force in 30 days. The Secretary-General of the ACP Group, H.E. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, commenting on this step forward, said: “That we have come this far is a testament to the dedicated team that worked on this revision, our Member States for supporting it and all the persons who have contributed to making this recommendation, arising out of the 7^th and 8^th Summits of ACP Heads of State and Government, a reality. We can now prepare to implement the provisions of the revised Agreement, which will have far-reaching consequences for the ACP Group and regions.”

The ACP Secretariat will continue to encourage ACP States to ratify or sign the revised Georgetown Agreement. In accordance with Article 7.2 (a) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs are eligible to sign the revised Georgetown Agreement. Article 7 (1)(A) stipulates that ACP Ambassadors accredited to the ACP Group may sign on behalf of their countries once they obtain full powers from their Governments. By virtue of their national legislations, Ambassadors who do not require full powers can sign in accordance with Article 7.2 (c).