8TH SUMMIT OF ACP HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

The ACP Council of Ministers,

– Meeting in Brussels, (Belgium), from 24th to 25th November 2015,

HAVING REGARD to Article 7 of the Georgetown Agreement on the Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government;

HAVING REGARD to Paragraph 38 of the Libreville Declaration in which ACP Heads of State and Government, meeting at their first Summit in Libreville, Gabon, on 6TH and 7TH November 1997, undertook to meet on a regular basis and mandated the Council of Ministers to make the necessary arrangements to this end;

HAVING REGARD to Paragraph 71 of the Sipopo Declaration and Decision No. 2/XVI/12 of the 7th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government regarding the presentation, at the 8th Summit of Heads of State and Government, of the outcome of the work of the Committee of Ambassadors' Working Group and the Eminent Persons Group tasked with reflecting on the future of the ACP Group;

HAVING EXAMINED the progress report of the Ambassadorial Working Group on the Future Perspectives of the ACP Group as contained in (Document ACP/27/041/13 Rev.2) and the progress report on the ACP Eminent Persons Group on the future of the ACP Group as presented in the Secretary-General’s report to Council (Document ACP/11/007/13);

HAVING EXAMINED the report of the Committee of Ambassadors to Council, in particular the Addendum on Preparations for the 8th Summit on ACP Heads of State and Government under the theme : “Repositioning the ACP Group to respond to the challenges of Sustainable Development” contained in document (ACP/28/020/15 Rev1 )

HEREBY DECIDES TO:

1. Approve and acknowledge, with appreciation, the offer made by the Independent State of Papua New Guinea to host the 8th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government in Port Moresby from 30th May to 1st June 2016.

2. Instruct the Committee of Ambassadors, the ACP Secretariat and the host country to proceed with the ongoing work on the 8th Summit of Heads of State and Government.

3. Appeal to all ACP Member States to take all the necessary measures to ensure a successful Summit including the undertaking of diplomatic, promotional and advocacy activities.

4. Approve the theme of the 8th Summit “Repositioning the ACP Group to respond to the challenges of Sustainable Development”.

Done in Brussels on 25th November 2015