Seychelles Attends 64th Session of OACPS-EU Parliamentary Assembly in Angola
VICTORIA, Seychelles, Seychelles was among delegations assembled in Luanda, Angola for the 64th session of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly and Constitutive sessions of the OACPS-European Union (EU) Joint Parliamentary Assemblies (JPA). Representing Seychelles were Hon. Clifford Andre as head of delegation and desk officer Shannon Surman. The sessions marked a key moment in the calendar of the OACPS and its relationship with the European Union.
The sessions began on Saturday February 17, with respective regional meetings of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific states. The aim of the meetings was the election of new members to the Bureau of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly. Seychelles attended the African Regional Meeting where East Africa decided that Uganda would become the Bureau Member representing the African region. The Bureau is responsible for steering the work of the Assembly between sessions.
The 64th session of the OACPS-EU was held on Sunday February 18, where the Assembly was addressed by the President of the OACPS, Hon. Ana Rita Sithole, who highlighted the transition from the Post-Cotonou Agreement to the Samoa Agreement signed in 2023. Hon. Sithole stressed the importance of ensuring the protection of democratic principles as well as efforts to increase the number of women parliamentarians. She noted that the transition offers an opportunity to strengthen cooperation.
On Monday February 19, constitutive meetings for the respective regions were held, as well as the constitutive meeting of the OACPS-EU JPA. During the constitutive meeting for the Africa-EU regional assembly, the rules of procedure were adopted, after which presentations were made on the topic The People-Led Partnership to Reliable, Affordable, and Universal Access to Energy. Key points raised concerned Africa ability to directly transition to renewable energy and the rise in the level of electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Hon. Andre made a poignant intervention that brought attention to the climate change issue and the challenges that small island developing states (Sids) such as Seychelles face. He raised the issues facing Sids, noting the importance of making considerations to ensure that the unique circumstances of Sids are considered in global decision-making processes. The OACPS-EU JPA featured a debate on A new dawn in the OACPS-EU Relations: Towards a People-Led Partnership.
