Signing of Second Revision of Cotonou Agreement 02/07/2010

Embassy participates in the historic signing ceremony of the Second Revision of the Cotonou Agreement in Ouagadougou

The historic ceremony for the signing of the Second Revision of the Cotonou Agreement between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 22 June 2010, during the 35^thJoint Session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers.

It was signed on behalf of the EU by Ms Soraya Rodriguez, Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation, and EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, and by 78 representatives of the ACP member states.

The Kenyan delegation was led by Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya, Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030.  The minister signed the revised Agreement on behalf of the Republic of Kenya, and he was accompanied by Ambassador Kembi-Gitura, Mr. Njogu Ngariama and senior officials from the Ministry.

The signing is in line with the provisions of Article 95 of the Cotonou Agreement, which provides for its revision every five years, with the last one having been done in Luxembourg in 2005.

The Cotonou Partnership Agreement, which has been in existence since 2000, is the basis upon which developing countries, Kenya included, get development support, duty-free and quota-free access to the European market.  The Agreement is reputed to be the most comprehensive partnership agreement between the developed and developing countries.  It will address critical issues of aid effectiveness, the economic and financial crisis, and to a great extent challenges posed by climate change.  It will further tackle the long-term objectives of poverty reduction, achievement of sustainable development, and the gradual integration of the ACP economies into the world economy, which was and still is the mainstay of the Georgetown Agreement under which the ACP group of countries was founded in 1975.

The revision additionally streamlines the agreement by adapting it to changes in trade and aid policies that occurred over the last five years.  Both parties, ACP and EU, were in agreement that the signing will further strengthen the relationship between the two, in particular by addressing major challenges facing the ACP member countries.

Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya signs the Agreement on behalf of Kenya, witnessed by H.E Kembi-Gitura (far left) and Mr. Njogu Ngariama (left)

H.E. Mr. Paul Bunduku-Latha, President of the ACP Council of Ministers (middle), signs the Agreement, as ACP Secretary-General Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas (left) and H.E. Rene Makongo, Ambassador of Gabon and Chair of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors, look on.