Resolution of the 99th session of the ACP Council of Ministers on the Development of the ACP Commodities Sector
The ACP Council of Ministers,
– meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, on 16 and 18 June 2014,
A. HAVING REGARD to the resolutions on sugar, cotton and bananas adopted by the 98th session of the ACP Council of Ministers held in Brussels (Belgium), on 10 and 11 December 2013;
B. RECALLING the importance of commodities to the economies of the ACP countries and to the fight against poverty in rural communities;
C. CONVINCED of the need to treat commodities in an inclusive manner in the framework of cooperation with our development partners;
D. STRESSING the need to develop ACP commodities and to support the formulation and implementation of national and regional diversification strategies;
E. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the conclusions of the Ministerial Consultations on Commodities held in Nairobi (Kenya) on 16 June 2014, the ACP Ministers in charge of commodities-related issues:
1. Calls on the European Union to honour its request pay special attention in its cooperation with ACP countries and to honour its commitments regarding the various commodity sectors, including bananas, cotton, sugar, kava and cashew nut;
2. Invites the EU to engage in meaningful consultations to ensure that the policy coherence referred to in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement and in the EU Development Strategy is respected, particularly in the negotiation of trade agreements with countries that are ACP competitor for certain exports ; and
3. Invites the European Commission and the ACP Secretariat, once again, to engage in discussions on ways and means of developing and funding an integrated programme for the development of commodities in the next multiannual financial framework.