Brussels, 20/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - The next secretary general of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) group of states will be appointed by the Caribbean region in Surinam, the ACP Council of Ministers confirmed on Thursday 19 June. Applying the principle of rotation which prevails among the 6 ACP sub-regions of the group for this post at the head of the body which ensures the administrative management of the group, the secretary general assists the decision-making bodies and follows up on the implementation of the ACP-EU partnership.
The current secretary general of the ACP Group, Mhuammad Mumuni, is from Ghana (West Africa). His mandate comes to an end in February 2015. The appointment of his successor will be formally ratified by the Council of Ministers, in Surinam in November. This will enable the next secretary general to take up his/her duties in March 2015 for a five-year mandate running up to the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement (signed in 2000 for 20 years between the European Union and the ACP states).
The secretary general of the ACP Group is based in Brussels. In total, 79 ACP states are linked to the EU by this agreement. (AN)