Brussels, 22 February 2012/ ACP: Composers and musical groups throughout the 79 member states of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Grouphave beeninvited to submit entries for a common anthem that would embody the “spirit, ideals and objectives” of the Group.

Interested artistes have until the 31^st of May, 2012 to respond to the call from the Group, an initiative driven by the Ambassadorial Working Group on the Future Perspectives of the ACP.

“The anthem will serve to reinforce and remind us of our common identity and ourjoint search to eradicate poverty and bring about amoreequitable world order not onlyfor the ACP but also for all peoples,” explained Chair of the Working Group, the Ambassador of Guyana Dr P.I Gomes.

“The Working Group, in its deliberations on the importance of an anthem, wished to encourage the creative genius of composers and musicians to enhance in a symbolic and inspirational way, through music and words, the solidarity and unity of our family of nations.”

Instructions from the ACP Secretariat in Brussels further specified that the lyrics and melody should be conceived, as best as possible, to capture the following:

• Ideals of solidarity that unite the ACP family of nations;
• Richness and cultural diversity of the ACP peoples;
• Our quest for international understanding and commitment to the dialogue of civilizations;
• Respect for the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law;
• Commitment to just and equitable development, international social justice and peace.

The lyrics may be in any of the official languages of the ACP Group, namely English, French, Portuguese or Spanish, and should be submitted in mp3 or WAV format, playable on a standard CD player.

A Panel of experts will be constituted shortly thereafter to select the winning entry, and a prize will be awarded to the winner.

* All entries must reach the Secretariat by the 31st May 2012 and sent to the attention of Mrs Josephine Latu-Sanft, Press Attachée, ACP House, Tel. +32 743 0617; Email: latu@acp.int