African, Caribbean And Pacific Countries Discussing Climate Change Issues In Brussels

Photo above: Guyana-born Secretary General of the ACP, Dr. Patrick I Gomes. Photo credit:

BRUSSELS, Belgium Mar. 22, (CMC) – Representatives from the 79-member States of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group are meeting here, today, with senior officials from the United Nations international agencies, in a bid to speed up work towards implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The two-day meeting will also be attended by the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Cañete; the UN Environment Programme Director, Achim Steiner; the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director, General José Graziano Da Silva; and Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Petteri Taalas.

They will join regional partners and ACP ambassadors in Brussels to discuss concrete proposals for follow-up actions on the global agreement, endorsed by world leaders in December 2015 at the UN Climate Change Conference COP21 in Paris.

Representatives for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), as well as the host of the next Conference of the Parties COP22 meeting, Morocco, will also make presentations.

The organisers said, that the Brussels meeting is aimed at facilitating dialogue and generate an action plan, including elements on partnerships and finance mechanisms, to tackle climate issues pertinent to African, Caribbean and Pacific developing countries.

“Climate change is a global challenge that cuts across all 79 members of the ACP Group – with almost half of the membership being Small Island Developing States, and/or Least Developed Countries — which are particularly vulnerable,” the Guyana-born Secretary General of the ACP, Dr. Patrick I Gomes, said.

“Translating the ambitions and decisions of COP21 at the global and multilateral level into concrete actions on the ground in our countries, is a major task that needs the commitment of all partners. We must not let the momentum slide on this vital opportunity to make a difference for our planet,” he added.

The meeting here is regarded as a significant follow-up on a joint initiative of the ACP Group and the European Union leading up to the Paris climate change agreement.

The ACP-EU joint declaration pushed for an ambitious, durable and dynamic agreement by COP21 and welcomed the signing of the 11th European Development Fund Intra-ACP Strategy by the ACP Group and the European Commission, which allocates Euro 475 million (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) to support climate action, resilience building and the environment in ACP countries up to 2020.

The two-day meeting in Brussels will also feature presentations from the ACP Secretariat, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other UN agencies, European Commission, the South Centre, FAO, WMO, the Ramphal Institute and the Institute de la Francophonie pour le Development Durable.

Interactive exchange on support for implementation will be led by the Belgian government, African Development Bank, and the Green Climate Fund. Regional experts from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific, along with representations of the LDCs and AOSIS countries, will also share insights and views on the Paris Agreement.