Luanda - The European Union (EU) Partnership Agreement with the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific for the next ten years amounts to 30 billion dollars in aid for sustainable development and without reimbursement, the secretary general of the OACPS, Georges Chicoty said on Tuesday, in Luanda.
According to Georges Chikoti, after a meeting with the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) have obtained great benefits from the EU and that 30 billion dollars are available for Africa, 800 million for the Caribbean and 500 million for the Pacific in non-refundable aid.
The Secretary-General of OACPS said that the occasion served, among others, to report on the progress of the work carried out at the first meeting of the Joint Assembly, as well to thank the Angolan authorities who agreed to the holding, in the country's capital, of the 64th Parliamentary Assembly and the constitution of the 1st Session of the ACP-EU, within the scope of the Samoa Agreement.
On the other hand, the diplomat said that there are countries that are taking important steps in agriculture and the export of products, without forgetting the fight against poverty, an issue that he considered 'one of the major dimensions of the Samoa Agreement (eradication of poverty) and, particularly, for member nations”.
As for the countries that already benefit in the area of Agriculture, Georges Chikoti said that the majority of African products sold in Europe come on the basis of this agreement.
Therefore, the secretary general of the OACPS considered it important that countries make this effort to sign the agreement, as the organization is available to facilitate the inclusion in the different protocols requested by member countries.
Regarding the Samoa Agreement, another point discussed at the hearing, whose cooperation priorities are focused on the Environment, Human Rights and Economy, Ambassador Georges Chikoti said it was essential to retain the fact that countries, this time, signed the agreement by region, with protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
According to the secretary general of the OACPS, implementation will take into account the specific conditions of each country.
“In fact, many countries hesitated in signing the agreement because they did not understand some aspects. But what must be understood is that it is a general, global agreement, which does not override any national legislation. Countries will implement it in accordance with their realities, needs and as they adapt,” explained Chikoti.
Regarding the ratification of the Samoa agreement, Georges Chikoti raised the possibility of extending the period for countries that have not yet ratified.
The OEACP brings together around 1.5 billion people from three continents and 79 countries, 48 from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific, which makes this organization a significant force in the concert of nations. FMA/VIC/DOJ
