The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

ACP Secretary General’s Welcome Speech -3RD ACP Civil Society Forum 10 and 11 December, 2009.

Your Excellencies,
Esteemed Representatives of Non-State Actors,

Distinguished Representatives of ACP Member States,

Our specially invited Guest Speaker from the Europe Aid services of the European Commission;

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s 3RD ACP Civil Society Forum Meeting provides us with the opportunity to favourably respond to the key component of the fundamental principles of the Cotonou Agreement (Art.2),which is rooted in an inclusive participatory approach to development.
 
I share the great sense of honour of being a part of this stock-taking evaluation on where the ACP and the EU partners are today, in terms of Non-State Actor participation under the Cotonou Agreement Framework.

Participants who were present at the last  ACP Civil Society Forum  meeting held during the period 19-21 April 2006, will recall that close emphasis was paid to the thematic areas relating to NSA involvement in  the  operations of the ACP-EU Natural Disasters Facility; the fight against HIV/AIDS; the promotion of social  and political dialogue; the NSA consultation processes  of  the on-going regional Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations;  the implementation of Information Communication Technology Programmes and in the Promotion of ACP Cultural Industries.

Our meeting today, will provide the European Commission and the ACP Secretariat to present an overview of the activities, initiatives and development cooperation programmes that  have been pursued since the 2006 meeting of ACP Civil Society, to further advance our dialogue on Civil Society participation under the Cotonou Agreement Framework.

We are also eager to receive your feedback and guidance on (a) the next steps required to further enhance your involvement in the implementation of  EDF programmes, and (b) on the strategy to organise yourselves in such a manner as to increase your VISIBILITY, EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION  and VOICE at the national, regional and all-ACP levels.
 
Regarding the Election of the Chairperson today’s Meeting and the Organisation of Work, I wish to further highlight that the Agenda’s proposed emphasis upon the different thematic areas, is consistent with the thematic areas of the Work Programme of our ACP Ambassadors Sub-Committee on Political, Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs. It is for this reason that in accordance with the current practice, and in the spirit of greater partnership with ACP Civil Society, the Chairmanship of the 3rd ACP Civil Society Forum will be expected to collaborate closely with, and to be from the same region as the Chairperson of the ACP Ambassadors Sub-Committee on Political, Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs.  It is hoped that this will result in more open lines of communication between ACP Civil Society and the ACP Group of Ambassadors and its Secretariat, on Civil Society participation in the implementation of EDF funded Programmes

We all acknowledge that the unique nature of our Partnership Agreement is rooted in its promotion of a participatory approach. However, our discussions at this Forum should, as always, aim to reveal the practical realities on the ground.  

A high priority for Civil Society at the national, regional and all-ACP levels, is the aspiration to be involved in the consultation in the Programming, Implementation of National and Regional Indicative Programmes and all-ACP Programmes;   consultation in the Mid-Term Review process of the Country Strategy Papers  and the National  and Regional Indicative Programmes;  consultation in the review of the Cotonou Agreement;  the negotiation  and Follow- Up of the Economic Partnership Agreements and the impact of the current Financial Crisis.

As we meet today at the ACP Secretariat, I encourage you all to enter into a frank exchange of views evaluating the types of consultations that target the existing wide range of Non-State Actor Organisations, and to discuss and agree amongst yourselves on the most appropriate working mechanisms for future cooperation at the national, regional and all-ACP levels.

The pertinent questions need to be asked:
 
How satisfied are we with our Governments approach to active policy dialogue with the wide range of Civil Society actors?

Has significant progress been made, since our last all-ACP discourse, to greater include Civil Society in the consultation processes on Capacity Building needs?

Have Civil Society Capacity Building requirement been addressed to facilitate greater involvement in the policy dialogue on issues highlighted in the thematic areas discussed at the last meeting?

Are Civil Society stakeholders present at the negotiating table on Economic Partnership Agreements?

These are all relevant questions, and as the ACP Secretary General, I urge you to make the most of this all-ACP platform of stock-taking, policy dialogue and planning.

In terms of the structure of the meeting, I propose that we proceed to the Election of the Chairperson and the General Rapporteur, before entering into a thorough   exchange of views.

It is indeed my hope, that we will all have a clearer idea about the specific follow-up action required from all concerned parties. 

Distinguished Guests, I welcome you all to the ACP Secretariat and I wish you a focussed and successful discourse.