Dear friends and colleagues,

Today, we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) – fifty years of solidarity, shared purpose, and collective resilience across three continents.

When the Georgetown Agreement was signed in 1975, it brought together countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific – nations that, despite their distinct histories and geographies, shared a deep faith in cooperation, equity and the strength of unity.

From those bold beginnings as the ACP Group, the OACPS has established itself as one of the largest and most diverse groupings of developing countries in the world, today comprising 79 Member States.

Our mission has always been clear: to promote sustainable development; to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty; and to support our members’ gradual and meaningful integration into the global economy.

At the same time, we have worked to strengthen multilateralism, promote peace and democratic governance, and ensured that women and young people are at the heart of building the future.

Over the decades, our partnerships have yielded real and lasting impact.

Through the Lomé Conventions, the Cotonou Agreement, and most recently, the Samoa Agreement (signed in November 2023 and provisionally applied since January 2024), we have deepened our collaboration with the European Union.

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