LEADING international personalities have started arriving in Brussels for the historic two-day 40th birthday anniversary of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states that gets underway in the  Belgium capital tomorrow, June 4.
The keynote address at the ceremonial opening session will focus on the theme, “The ACP Group in the Multi-Polar World of the 21st Century”, says Guyana-born Dr Patrick Gomes, the recently elected new Secretary-General.
The English-speaking Caribbean had played a key role in the inauguration of the ACP, which currently comprises 79 nations with a combined population of
some 980 million people.
And among expected “birthday” messages would be those from two former architects from the Caribbean Community  region, Jamaica’s former long-serving Prime Minister, P.J.Patterson, and former three-term Secretary- General of the Commonwealth, Sir Shridath Ramphal.
Among listed keynote speakers for the two-day event are the President of the United Nations General Assembly (Sam Kutesa), with symposia and other working sessions Including issues such as:
South-South and Triangular Co-operation: Sharing experiences of India, Brazil and South Africa; and also a focus on “Beyond Trade: The nexus between Culture, Democracy and Development”.
A special session has  also been planned on utilisation of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union as “a development tool”, with a special focus on “successful regional and ACP cooperation”.
Meanwhile,  it was also announced yesterday by the ACP Secretariat that a week-long programme between the  ACP and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will get underway on Saturday.
The theme of the programme, which coincides with the 39th Session of the FAO Conference, is the “FAO and Small Island Developing States” (SIDS).
Fey issues for the occasion will include: Priorities for SIDS and FAO; climate change, food security and nutrition. (R. SINGH)