For two days, on December 6th and 7th, CONCORD and the FIP-IFP organised a seminar on the post-Cotonou process. These 2 days closed with a multi-stakeholders debate, titled “Stand up for a better future for all”. What came out of this process? What have we learned? What are the next steps? Read the joint statement and discover much more in this blogpost.
THE DEBATE:
The event, co-organised by the Slovak Presidency, brought together authorities and Civil Society Organisations from both the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, to discuss the future of the EU’s partnership with 79 ACP states after 2020. This event was a unique opportunity gathering both EU and ACP institutions to discuss the future of the Cotonou process.
The main outcome is the joint ACP-EU civil society statement. The statement is available in English and in French (see below). This document is not a position paper; it is the starting point of a joint reflection among certain ACP and EU CSOs.
NEXT STEPS:
As a first step, the participants of the seminar elaborated a combined view on the advocacy strategies, including a timeline for the different joint and regional actions until September 2018.
As a second step, CONCORD launched thematic online groups – the idea being for members of these groups to have a safe space in which to continue discussing issues in greater depth, if possible via regular webinars next year to allow maximum participation. These groups, working on e.g. political dialogue, private sector or development cooperation, include both ACP and EU civil society representatives so that they work in tandem across regions and are able to mutually support each other. If you are interested to join such groups, please contact Rachel De Plaen.