Strasbourg, 28 November 2014/ ACP: Legislators from African, Caribbean and Pacific parliaments were called upon to play a lead role in ensuring accountability and transparency in ACP-EU cooperation in their various countries.

Opening the 36th session of the ACP Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg, France this morning, ACP Secretary General H.E Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni encouraged more than 150 MPs to enhance their role in linking high level political discussions with European parties, with action on the ground at the national level. (View a photo gallery of the event)

“My appeal to you as Parliamentarians is to ensure that you are involved at national level in your own Parliaments in bringing more accountability and transparency to ACP-EU cooperation programmes such as Country Strategy Papers and Economic Partnership Agreements,” he told the meeting.

Mr Mumuni said this would help to “infuse the ACP-EU Partnership with more democratic legitimacy.”

“In this regard, I would like to propose that this Assembly should adopt concrete measures of ensuring that the decisions and Resolutions adopted by the [Joint Parliamentary Assembly] are presented to National Parliaments, and appropriate follow-up action taken by our respective Governments on the issues on which you speak.”

ACP politicians were meeting in preparation for the joint meeting with European counterparts on 1-3 December. The Joint Parliamentary Assembly takes place twice a year, bringing together lawmakers from 78 ACP states as well as an equal number of European parliamentarians to discuss major ACP-EU issues in an open forum.

In next week’s session, resolutions are expected on reports by the Committees on Political Affairs (on the challenges of national reconciliation in post conflict and post crisis societies), Social Affairs and Environment (Social and economic consequences of malnutrition in ACP countries) and Economic Development, Finance and Trade (Private sector strategy, including innovation).

Urgent topics for debate include the ebola outbreak and the expansion of terrorism in Africa.

Issues related to migration, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the progressive growth on the African continent, are also on the agenda.

The 28th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly will be chaired by Hon.Fitz Jackson of Jamaica and Hon. Louis Michel of Belgium.

(Photo: ACP Parliamentary Assembly gathering in Strasbourg; ACP Secretary General Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni).

Photo gallery

For media enquiries please contact Ms. Josephine Latu-Sanft, Press Officer, latu@acp.int.