Brussels, OACPS Secretariat in Brussels, 28th February 2020. The Committee of Ambassadors bid farewell to the outgoing Secretary General Dr Gomes here in the picture with the Chairperson of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors, H.E. Mrs. Teneng Mba Jaiteh, Ambassador of Gambia.
From Dr. Patrick I. Gomes, former Secretary-General, African, Caribbean & Pacific Group of States.
My Appreciation and a Fond Farewell
I am conveying these greetings from Trinidad & Tobago, where I now reside after having completed my tenure as Secretary-General of the ACP Group of States from 2015 to 2020. My apologies for not being able to have conveyed these greetings in person before my departure from Brussels.
During those years of my tenure, the modest achievements of our unique organisation of 79 developing countries from across the African continent, the Caribbean and Pacific would not have been possible without the admirable and consistent support and encouragement Your Excellencies and dear friends provided to me personally, as Secretary-General, to the Secretariat, its management and staff.
I am deeply grateful to have been the beneficiary of your dedication to the ACP Group of States and the sterling contributions you made, as at major policy-making events such as the Council of Ministers and more recently at the 9th Summit of Heads of State and Government in Nairobi, Kenya on 9-10 December 2019.
The Summit’s resounding success and permanent Declaration with the accompanying Amendment of the Georgetown Agreement, the constitutive Act of the ACP Group, will constitute a great legacy to which your presence and contribution were of great significance.
As I convey these words of appreciation and gratitude, it is my strong conviction that your continuing commitment to the ACP Group, now officially designated the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), will remain unwavering and enable the organisation to further advance in its Vision and Mission for the sustainable and equitable development of the peoples and societies of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific.
While looking forward to our paths crossing in the not too distant future, I take this opportunity to wish you every success in all your present endeavours and deep satisfaction as you pursue substantial, sustainable and equitable benefits for your countries and families across Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific and that you remain safe in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Dr. Patrick I. Gomes, former Secretary-General, African, Caribbean & Pacific Group of States. Email: pigomes@yahoo.com
