Brussels, 28th November 2022: The opening session took place on 27th November 2022 and began with an Opening Ceremony followed by the Plenary session which considered and approved among others, the report of the 114th Session of the Council of Ministers which was held in June 2022; took note of the OACPS Secretary General’s report on the salient issues on the agenda of the OACPS from global, continental and regional perspective and approved the Administration, Finance and Human Resources report.
When taking the floor, the Honourable Minister commended the Secretary-General H.E Mr. Rebelo Gerges Pinto Chikoti for his leadership and bold vision for the reform agenda to reposition and adapt the OACPS for the future. He underscored the importance of incorporating technology to improve efficiency on how the OACPS prudently manages its resources and assets. Minister Kwape also noted the progress made to fill the vacancies in the OACPS Secretariat and stressed the need to ensure equitable geographic distribution and encouraged the OACPS to consider introducing a system of secondments and youth internships. Lastly, the Honourable Minister’s intervention highlighted the South-South Triangular Cooperation as an avenue to achieve sustainable Development Goals through the exchange of knowledge and technologies among countries facing similar development challenges.
In closing the session, the Ministers approved the report on the amendment of staff regulations, the report of the External Audit, the budget for the OACPS for the financial year 2023, and the financial controller’s report on the implementation of the budget of the OACPS Secretariat for Quarter 3 of 2022.
