ADOPTED BY THE 8TH SUMMIT OF ACP HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT HELD IN PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, ON 31 MAY AND 1 JUNE 2016

The Heads of State and Government of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group), held their 8th Summit in Waigani, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on 31 May and 1 June 2016, under the chairmanship of Hon. Peter O’NEILL, Prime Minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The Summit was organised under the theme, “Repositioning the ACP Group to respond to the challenges of sustainable development.”

After considering the reports from the ACP Council of Ministers and the Eminent Persons Group on the future perspectives of the ACP Group;

Recalling the Georgetown Agreement, the constitutive Act of the ACP Group, and reaffirming their deep commitment to the principles and shared values of peace, solidarity and unity enshrined in that Agreement, vectors of progress, development and the well-being of their peoples;

Recalling the Sipopo Declaration of the 7th ACP Summit in which the ACP Heads of State and Government, inter-alia, expressed their conviction that the strength, unity and solidarity among their States will sustain the future of the Group in a changing world of challenges and opportunities, and expressed their determination to create the necessary conditions to make the Group an influential player in economic governance and global policy;

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 its next 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;

Aware of their common identity and multiple interests beyond diversity and determined to further consolidate their common identity by promoting fruitful cooperation among ACP States;

Aware of fundamental changes in the global arena which demand that the ACP Group of States reposition itself as a global player with a leading role in the community of nations;

Aware also of the new challenges and major difficulties facing the world in terms of security, environmental and development issues, and welcoming with satisfaction the response of the international community, particularly through the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals;

Acknowledging the importance and benefits of the Cotonou Agreement which has established a dynamic and productive partnership with the European Union and its Member States;

Determined to consolidate South-South and Triangular Cooperation for the socio-economic development of their peoples;

The ACP Heads of State and Government:

1. Reiterated their commitment to the objectives and principles enshrined in the Georgetown Agreement establishing the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, and the United Nations Charter, and reaffirming our adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as to the commitments made during our previous Summits and in particular, the determination declared at their 7th Summit held in Sipopo, Equatorial Guinea, in December 2012, to create the necessary conditions to transform our Group into an influential actor in global economic and political governance;

2. Re-affirmed their vision to make the ACP Group the leading transcontinental organisation working towards improving the living standards of our peoples through good governance, preservation of peace and security, social justice, entrepreneurship, building capacity in the private sector, promotion of trade, investments and access to technology, sustainable development as well as through South-South, North-South and Triangular Cooperation;

3. Acknowledged the effective contribution that the long-standing partnership with the European Union has made to the development of ACP States. They nevertheless pointed to the need to count primarily on ACP Member States’ own efforts and strengths, as well as the need for diversified partnerships if the ACP Group is to achieve a level of social and economic development in keeping with the expectations of our populations;

4. Noted that despite slight improvements in global economic growth and concerted efforts to resolve political problems and conflicts throughout the world, the prevailing international socio-economic and political situation continues to pose numerous challenges to the ACP Group, and furthermore, the Heads of State and Government were Cognizant of the fact that the promotion of strong, inclusive, equitable economic and social growth driven by redistributive policies that ensure that no one is left behind is a major concern for our ACP Member States and is still the most appropriate way to ultimately eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty.

5. Recognised the need for closer cooperation among ACP Member States and with their international partners for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to which all United Nations Member States committed in September 2015; and further, underlined the urgency of mobilising adequate resources and financing to ensure the sustainable development to which all peoples aspire as well as capacity building and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed;

6. Are determined to reposition the ACP Group within the current multi-polar world which is characterised by a shift in the balance of economic powers in order to ensure that our Group plays a more influential role in global governance with a view to fulfilling the legitimate aspirations of our peoples;

7. Expressed a commitment to the principles of subsidiarity, complementarity and proportionality in order to more effectively complement the efforts of the international community as well regional economic communities and regional integration organisations in the pursuit of sustainable development, and to leverage the ACP Group’s strength in numbers and outreach to participate in, and contribute more effectively to, global governance institutions and fora;

8. Expressed the commitment to improve the relevance and effectiveness of the ACP Group by, in addition to more effective intra-ACP cooperation and political dialogue, deepening and enhancing the ACP-EU relationship as a unique North-South development cooperation model, while diversifying the ACP Group’s cooperation by building on South-South and Triangular Partnerships with the aim of eradicating poverty and attaining sustainable development in our States;

9. Acknowledged and are appreciative of the important role that the Cotonou Agreement has played in promoting and sustaining ACP-EU relations, and in this regard, expressed determination to renew and enhance the ACP-EU partnership with a legally binding agreement building on the Cotonou ‘acquis’, and to this end, they committed to jointly explore additional forms of development finance, for example, through capacity-building and institutional strengthening for public–private partnerships, domestic resource mobilisation, reduction and recovery of illicit financial flows from ACP countries as well as technology development and transfer;

10. Resolved to jointly identify issues of common interest with their EU partners to ensure that the ACP-EU cooperation framework comprehensively takes into account the implementation of SDGs, promotion of regional integration, trade, Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), financing for development, and other identified priorities; and to work together to implement multilateral agreements, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement;

11. Underscored the need to deepen political dialogue with the EU to address issues of mutual concern, as well as to facilitate consultations with a view to taking common or joint positions at multilateral level and within international fora, where appropriate;

12. Accepted and commended the excellent quality of the Final Report of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) submitted by its Chairperson, Chief Olusegun OBASANJO, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and accepted the request of Member States for in-depth analysis and consultations of the EPG report and its recommendations at national and regional levels; and

13. Mandated the Council of Ministers to put in place implementation modalities for the recommendations of the EPG Report taking into account the outcome of the consultations at national and regional levels, by the end of 2016; and to implement the recommendations of the EPG Report on the establishment of the Endowment Fund.

At the end of their deliberations, the Heads of State and Government adopted the Port Moresby Declaration and agreed to meet at their 9th Summit at a time and place to be decided by the ACP Council of Ministers in consultation with the President of the 8th Summit and the authorities of the future host country. The Secretary-General of the ACP Group was mandated to forward this Waigani Communiqué and the Port Moresby Declaration to the United Nations Secretary-General, the President of the European Council, ACP regional integration organisations, as well as to international organisations and all development partners.

Done at Waigani in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, this 1st Day of June 2016