Honorary President of GFDD and FUNGLODE, Dr. Leonel Fernández, in His New Capacity as Vice President of the Eminent Persons Group of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States

On March 26, the former President of the Dominican Republic, and honorary President of GFDD and FUNGLODE, Dr. Leonel Fernández, was chosen as Vice President of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP). Headquartered in Brussels, the organization was initially established to strengthen relations between the EU and the Caribbean, Pacific and African states.

In his new function, the former Dominican president will
work jointly with the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was chosen as President of the entity, and the former president of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo. The new leadership of the Group of Eminent Persons of the ACP countries will work to re-launch the organization’s activities in its cooperation with the European Union and other international institutions and states.

Mr. Fernandez’s selection occurred in the context of the meeting held by the
Council of the ACP Ministers who came together to reorganize the Eminent Persons Group. “It is my great honor and pleasure to be nominated as Vice President of the Group of Eminent Persons. I, however, recognize that being part of a leading group for eminent persons can constitute a big challenge for me,” Mr. Fernandez solemnly noted with a smile on his face.

The meeting was chaired by the President of the Council of Ministers, Phandu T. C. Shelemani,
the general secretary of the organization, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the former presidents of the Dominican Republic, Nigeria and Guyana, Leonel Fernandez, Olusegun Obasanjo and Bharrat Jagdeo.

The Council of Ministers reestablished the mission the EPG that is now complying with the most recent resolution of the Heads of APC states. The resolution was adopted during the meeting of the Heads of APC countries held in December last year in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial
Guinea. The Council of Ministers agreed that the relations between the APC states and the EU should be renewed on the basis of traditional bonds of friendship with the perspective of even a more fruitfully cooperation after 2020.

In the course of the given ministerial meeting, Mr. Fernandez remarked that “in the second decade of the 21st century, the challenge for the ACP countries is to reunite themselves as a block, with new identity and prospects for
partnerships which will enable them to strive for progress, advancement and strengthening of democracy.” In this context, the honored participants of the meeting put on the agenda the establishment of a new kind of relationship for APC states – partnership with BRIS states (Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa), so as to enhance South-South cooperation to a higher lever.

The meeting was concluded with the celebration of the EPG rebirth and the foundation of
the new leadership who comes to realize new challenges for the organization but also new opportunities to consolidate and to become a solid base for the representation of the ACP countries worldwide.