Luanda – The Angola President and also acting Chairman of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), João Lourenço, said on Monday, in New York (USA), that this bloc is faced with pressing financial and institutional obstacles.
“These challenges, if not solved, risk undermining our ability to effectively serve the interests of our people and defend the aspirations that unite our 79 Member States”, President João Lourenço said during a meeting of this community.
At the event, which took place on the sidelines of a high-level week of the 79th UN General Assembly, the President challenged Member States to face this reality and work towards sustainable solutions that guaranteed the strength and longevity of the organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States for future generations.
He recalled that the OACPS, for almost 50 years, shone as a beacon of solidarity and common purpose.
Haiti current status
Another concern that the OACPS has on the table is the situation in Haiti, a Caribbean country experiencing serious political instability and a deterioration in the security environment.
“Our brothers and sisters in Haiti are suffering serious political instability and a deterioration in the environment and security”, warned João Lourenço.
In this context, as a community of nations committed to solidarity, he said that it is the OACPS' moral obligation to offer tangible support and be at Haiti's side in this time of great need.
Botswana leads financial rescue operation
At the proposal of the organization's president pro tempore, it was agreed, by consensus, that President Mokgweetsi Masisi, of Botswana, would act as “champion” in the process of raising financial resources to recover the financial OACPS situation.
On June 6, 1975, the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of States was founded in Georgetown, Guyana. The objective, at the time, was to strengthen ties with Europe, uniting countries that shared a common history of colonialism.
In 2019, the group formed by African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries was renamed the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), with the former Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, as secretary general.
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