Negotiations for a new agreement between the EU and ACP countries have now been completed. This new agreement lays the foundations for the creation of better-coordinated alliances and actions on the international stage, where the group can have a major influence in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Together, the EU and OACPS member states represent more than 1.5 billion people, and more than half the seats in the United Nations.
More specifically, the new agreement significantly modernizes cooperation and broadens the scope and scale of EU and OACPS ambitions to better address current and future challenges. The partners have strengthened their commitments in priority areas. In concrete terms, the agreement consists of a «common foundation», which sets out the values and principles that unite the partners, and specifies the strategic priority areas in which both parties intend to collaborate. These areas comprise:
- Human rights, democracy and governance within people-centred and rights-based societies,
- Peace and security,
- Human and social development,
- Environmental sustainability and climate change,
- Inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development,
- Migration and mobility.
The agreement also includes a regional dimension and a new, strengthened governance structure, tailored to the needs of each region, as well as a new financing mechanism to replace the European Development Fund.
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