ACP General Secretariat

Press release

Geneva, 10 September 2002-09-11

The Secretary-General of the ACP Group and the new Director-General of the WTO pledge to strengthen cooperation between their two Secretariats.

Mr. Jean-Robert GOULONGANA, Secretary-General of the ACP Group, met with the new Director-General of the WTO, Dr. Supachai PANITCHPAKDI, in Geneva on Tuesday 10 September 2002. During this first meeting, the two men agreed to strengthen relations between their two institutions, particularly by a Memorandum of Cooperation which is soon to be concluded.

The ACP Secretary-General pleaded in favour of setting up rules of Special Differential Treatment for ACP countries similar to those contained in the Doha Ministerial Declaration. He stressed the need for an awareness of the disparities in situations existing in developing countries, the ACP States being among the least developed.

Mr. Goulongana reminded the WTO Director-General of the urgent need to enhance WTO technical assistance to Developing Countries. Assistance was solicited mainly in two areas: the implementation of a technical cooperation programme to help ACP diplomatic missions in Geneva to follow up post-Doha WTO trade negotiations from July 2002 to 2004; and support for the ACP Group in preparing for the 5^th Ministerial Conference in Cancun, Mexico.

The WTO Director-General undertook to take account of the ACP concerns regarding capacity building. He said that his Organisation would assist developing countries in general, and the ACP Group in particular, by providing training in WTO trade policies; a new scholarship programme due to begin in January 2003; the opening of an Office for Africa; and making considerable resources available to ACP countries for the preparation of trade negotiations and the 5^th Ministerial Conference in Cancun.

Dr. Supachai also said that his Secretariat would provide the ACP Group with assistance for the negotiation of ACP-EU Economic Partnership Agreements compatible with the WTO rules on Regional Trade Agreements.

The ACP Secretary-General, Jean-Robert Goulongana, welcomed this meeting with the new WTO Director-General, one of Dr. Supachai’s first since his investiture on 1 September. He was pleased at the appointment of a national from a developing country to head the WTO, since in his opinion, this is likely to encourage transparency and the adoption of equitable rules which will take account of the interests of all WTO members.

Mr. Goulongana invited Dr. Supachai to participate in the meeting of the Trade Ministers of the ACP Group which will be held prior to the 5^th Ministerial Conference in Cancun.

After his visit to the WTO, the Secretary-General held a working meeting with ACP Ambassadors to the WTO. In an effort to support this group of Ambassadors, the ACP Secretariat opened an office in Geneva last year.