Brussels, 16 February 2015/ ACP: The Secretary General designate of the ACP Group, H.E Dr Patrick Gomes met with the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr. Kanayo F. Nwanze last week in Rome, where they discussed strengthening of ACP-IFAD relations in the area of South-South & Triangular Cooperation.

One of the key areas to be examined will be a collaborative effort of ACP and IFAD in assessing the socio-economic and cultural impact of the Ebola epidemic on the rural livelihoods of communities in the affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – and designing a strategy to rehabilitate key aspects of small and medium rural enterprises.

The joint effort will be in harmony with the global initiatives to be pursued in the affected countries.

Meanwhile, in response to a call by several West African countries at the ACP Symposium on the Ebola outbreak which took place in Brussels in October 2014, an international summit on ebola is scheduled for March 3rd in Brussels, organised by the European Commission. The high level meeting will bring together leaders of the affected countries as well as key international partners to address the various deep and long term impacts of the outbreak.