15 Nov 2021

Botswana will append its signature to the new partnership agreement between the European Union (EU)  and Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) at the signing ceremony early next year, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

Addressing OACPS committee of ambassadors in Belgium yesterday, he however reminded them that it was not the signature that was most important.

“It is how we as the OACPS prepare for the effective and beneficial implementation of the agreement. You have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Dr Masisi said conclusion of negotiations for the accord, which is a successor to the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement, should not be a reason to rest.

“It is the duty and responsibility of you the ambassadors to take the OACPS to the governments, parliaments, the youth, women, private sectors and non-governmental organisations. We look to you ambassadors and the secretariat to come up with initiatives on how we can strengthen cooperation amongst OACPS countries and regions as well as engage potential partners,” the President said.

Stating that Botswana’s OACPS membership had been crucial to the country’s development trajectory from least developed country to upper middle income status,the President said Botswana would therefore continue to support OACPS work by paying its assessed contributions to the secretariat budget in full and on time, as well as by participating in meetings of all structures.

He called for capacitation of the OACPS secretariat, financially and with human resources, to enable it to discharge its mandate.

“We should also put in place mechanisms and strategies where delivery will be measured against improvement of value for money, ability to prioritise and adopt relevant programming and innovation,” he said.

Turning to the organisation, Dr Masisi said it had the opportunity to reinvent itself into an influential and respected international player through cohesiveness and unity of purpose.

“With economic projections declining, protectionism rising and multilateral rules-based order under pressure, we need to build a more inclusive, sustainable future through accelerating intra-OACPS  and South-South cooperation,” said the President.

He said a cohesive and united OACPS backed by a 79-countries strong membership, represented a powerful leverage that could be used to negotiate more balanced partnerships with other players in international affairs.

He, however stated that although numbers were an important and strategic factor in multilateral negotiations, they alone were not a condition for success.

“It is how we use our numerical strength that in the long term will be a significant condition for our success,” he said, adding that consistency and adherence to principles as well as insistence on equity, balance and mutual benefit and leaving no one behind were also fundamental.

With the COVID-19 pandemic having demonstrated the importance of cooperating to address common problems, he said OACPS should prioritise forging a closer relationship among and within the three regions.

“It is imperative that we endeavour to increase intra-ACP trade and create more extensive and efficient regional markets,” he said.

Intra-ACP trade, Dr Masisi said, was an important vehicle for the regions to reach the ultimate goal of industrialising their economies, eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development.

President Masisi advised OACPS to invest more on research and innovation as well as strengthening of the organisation’s response to infectious diseases.

He also called for intensification of buildling adaptation measures to address socio-economic vulnerabilities in the most at-risk regions. Ends