ACP-EU ministerial meeting in Gaborone passes tow decisions

Addis Ababa, May 20(ENA)--The annual meeting of the joint African Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Commission (ACP-EU) held in Gaborone, Botswana on May 6 and 7 passed two important decisions.

A press statement by the Irish Embassy in Addis Ababa said the meeting decided the launching of negotiations to review some parts of the Cotonou agreement and the establishment of the EU Water Facility for Africa.

The review of the Cotonou agreement was intended to enable the ACP-EU partnership work more effectively to improve its contribution to poverty reduction in ACP states.

The Cotonou agreement was a major international treaty governing all trade, political and development cooperation aspects of the relationship between the ACP and the EU states.

The decision to establish a 500 Million Euro Water Facility would help million of people get access to clean water and sanitation, it said .

The statement said it was an important step along the road to meeting the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesbourg targets on water and sanitation.

The ministers also reviewed the negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) between EU and ACP countries.

During the second day of the meeting the ministers joined with representatives of Civil societies , international agencies , and non-state actors on the impact of HIV/AIDS and strategies to tackle it both locally and internationally.

Ireland’s Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights ,Tom Kitt T.D. who co-chaired the annual meeting underlined that Africa was a major priority for the Irish presidency of the EU.

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