THE AU-EU PARTNERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Programme of the 8th Meeting of the Eu-Africa Economic and Social Stakeholders' Network
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Draft Programme

(* all indicated times are local Brussels time - UTC/GMT +2 hours - Central European Summer Time (CEST))

Wednesday 28 June

9:30 - 9:45 Introductory remarks

  • Dimitris DIMITRIADIS, President of the External Relations Section of the European Economic and Social Committee
  • Josiane WILLEMS, Chairwoman of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee        

9:45 - 10:30 Welcoming speeches

  • Oliver RÖPKE, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
  • Khalid BOUDALI, Presiding Officer of the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC)
  • Georges Rebelo PINTO CHIKOTI, Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)

10:30 - 10:45 Coffee beak

10:45 - 13:00 Session 1 – Involvement of economic and social partners in the post-Cotonou agreement

Moderator: Carlos TRINDADE, EESC Member, Vice-Chair of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee

  • Domenico ROSA, Head of Unit, Head of the Task Force on Post Cotonou, Strategic Partnerships with Africa and OACPS, DG International Partnerships (DG INTPA), European Commission
  • Maria Clara GIRBAU RONDA, ACP Counsellor, incoming Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU
  • Dr. Norbert Richard IBRAHIM, Assistant Secretary-General, Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (tbc)
  • William CAREW, Head of Secretariat, African Union ECOSOCC

Debate with contributions from participants

13:00 - 14:30 Lunch break

14:30 - 18:30 Participation of a delegation to the

– Seminar “Triangle on Democracy” on best practices to fight disinformation

and to the

– Women's Forum on How Building a Feminist Foreign Policy can help ACP-EU achieve SDG 5, organised in the context of the 43rd Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

Thursday 29 June

9:15 - 9:45 Introductory remarks

  • Josiane WILLEMS, Chairwoman of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee
  • Keynote speeches by Carlos ZORRINHO and Ana Rita SITHOLE, Co-Chairs of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

9:45 - 10:45 Session 2 – EU financing instruments for external action: Mid-term review

Moderator: Josiane WILLEMS, Chairwoman of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee

  • Isabelle COMBES, Deputy Head of Unit, Coordination and oversight of Financing Instruments, DG INTPA, European Commission
  • Cristian PIRVULESCU, EESC rapporteur of the opinion on Neighbourhood, Development and Cooperation Instrument and Nuclear Safety Cooperation Instrument

10:45 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 13:00 Session 3 – Water and nutrition: the Zero Hunger objective and water sustainability

Moderator: Dr Sifa CHIYOGE, Director of International Co-operative Alliance-Africa, Member of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee

  • Ioannis VARDAKASTANIS, EESC rapporteur of the opinion on Water Politics: Between Desertification and Securitization - Time for a Blue Diplomacy, and Milena ANGELOVA, EESC co-rapporteur of the opinion on Water Politics: Between Desertification and Securitization - Time for a Blue Diplomacy
  • Lifeng LI, Director, Director of Land and Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
  • Arnold PUECH D'ALISSAC, Member of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee, President of World Farmers' Organisation
  • Floride NDAKORANIWE, Chairperson of Social Affairs and Health Cluster Committee, African Union ECOSOCC

Debate with contributions from participants

13:00 - 14:30 Lunch hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee

14:30 - 16:30 Session 4 – Critical raw materials: a mutually beneficial partnership for sustainable development

Moderator: Pietro DE LOTTO, EESC Member, President of the Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI, EESC)

  • Maurizio MENSI, EESC rapporteur of the ongoing opinion on the Critical Raw Materials Act
  • Tamika HALWIINDI, Environmental Governance Officer at Transparency International Zambia
  • Katy KAT KALAU, Trade Union Confederation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (CSC) 
  • Kundai NGWENA, Chairperson of Infrastructure & Energy Cluster Committee, African Union ECOSOCC

Debate with contributions from participants

16:30 - 17:30 Presentation and adoption of the final declaration

Moderated by Josiane WILLEMS, Chairwoman of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee

17:30 End of 8th meeting