Our Work

In discharging the mandate to represent the Secretary-General in Geneva, the Head of Office has interacted with the Heads of IOM, UNCTAD, WTO, UN, WHO and the Swiss Mission to the WTO. These representational duties included delivering statements and messages at events on behalf of the OACPS Secretariat. The Head of Office represents the Secretary-General at functions and events organised by the Swiss Government, as well as at the national day events/receptions of Missions in Geneva, particularly OACPS Missions.

In the context of the mandate to provide technical support and coordination to the OACPS Geneva Group, the Geneva Office’s work has prioritised two concrete tasks, namely, (a) provision of support services and coordination, and (b) delivery of technical advice to the Group. In the main, the Geneva Office’s work has centred on administering support services and coordination of meetings at both ambassadorial and experts’ levels. More specifically, this task entails convening and supporting information and brainstorming sessions; securing meeting rooms and interpretation and translation services; distributing relevant meeting documentation, as well as acting as rapporteur of consultative sessions.

The second primary component of this mandate entails delivering technical advice, with a heavy focus on WTO negotiations. Specifically, the Geneva Office drafts and provides input to statements delivered by the Geneva OACPS Coordination Group at the WTO and prepares briefing notes on WTO negotiating issues for the OACPS Coordination[i]. To bridge the human and financial resource gap, the Office in collaboration with colleagues at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels secured funding support for WTO negotiations from the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) since 2011. This support ensures that OACPS members are equipped with the necessary technical documentation and analysis to participate effectively in negotiations and to advance and defend their interests. Additional tasks undertaken by the OACPS Geneva Office include review of submissions by other WTO Members; drafting of summary reports and technical notes on WTO trade negotiations; dispensing support in the preparing and convening of OACPS workshops/seminars; and dispatch of documentation.

In discharging its mandate to cooperate with international organizations and other entities in Geneva, the Geneva Office has collaborated with UNCTAD in the areas of commodities trade, fisheries and services including the meetings of the OACPS and UNCTAD Secretaries General; co-hosting and co-chairing events with UNCTAD, including delivery by the Head of Office of statements on behalf of the OACPS Secretary-General; organising the attendance of UNCTAD officials at meetings of the OACPS Ministers of Trade in Brussels and at technical meetings of the OACPS Geneva Group. The Geneva Office also spearheaded the revision of the MoU between the OACPS and UNCTAD Secretariats which involved the production of a revised framework of institutional collaboration.

In its collaboration with the IOM, the Geneva Office has covered meetings on migration issues on behalf of the Department of Political Affairs and Human Development, including facilitating the recent revision and signing of the MoU between the OACPS Secretariat and IOM.

The Office has also covers WHO and WIPO meetings on issues of relevance to the OACPS, especially the development dimension of intellectual property, and the interaction between intellectual property and health. The Office’s work on WHO issues received a boost in December 2024 after the Office secured for a two-year period from the Global Centre for Health Development and Inclusivity (CeHDI) to coordinate the OACPS Geneva Ambassadors’ participation in the World Health Organisation and the UN Human Rights Council.

In terms of its mandate to enhance coordination between Geneva and Brussels OACPS Groups, the OACPS Geneva Office facilitates the participation of the OACPS Geneva Group at Sub-Committee, Ambassadorial and Ministerial meetings in Brussels, while the Head of Office participates in all these meetings. The coordination between the ambassadors in Brussels and Geneva enables both sides to speak with one voice on common issues, particularly in their relations with the EU. Another plank of the OACPS Geneva Office’s contribution is reflected in the delivery of quarterly reports on the activities of the antennae office, mainly on ongoing WTO negotiations and positions of the OACPS Group in Geneva. In addition, the OACPS Geneva Office contributes to reports of both the Committee of Ambassadors and the Secretary-General to the Council of Ministers; disseminates relevant documents produced by the OACPS Secretariat to Geneva-based missions in Brussels.