THE PRESIDENT OF THE ISLAMIC FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF THE COMOROS:
Ali MLAHAILI, Ambassador to the French Republic;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO:
Pierre MOUSSA, Minister responsible for Planning and Economic Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE COTE D'IVOIRE:
Moise Koffi KOUMOUE, Minister for Economic Affairs and Finance;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF DJIBOUTI:
Ahmed IBRAHIM ABDI, Minister of Labour and Social Security;
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA:
Charles Angelo SAVARIN, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium; .
THE PRESIDENT OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
Joaquin RICARDO, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA:
Aklilu AFEWORK, Minister, Head of the Office of the State Committee for Foreign Economic Relations;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI:
Kaliopate TAVOLA, Head of the Mission of Fiji to the European Communities;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE GABONESE REPUBLIC:
Pascal NZE, Minister for Planning, Development and Economic Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA:
Saihou S. SABALLY, Minister of Finance and Trade;
THE HEAD OF STATE AND CHAIRMAN OF THE PROVISIONAL NATIONAL DEFENCE COUNCIL OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA:
Dr KWESI BOTCHWEY, PNDC, Secretary for Finance and Economic Planning;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF GRENADA:
Denneth Matthew MODESTE,
Permanent Secretary, Ministry for External Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA:
Ibrahim SYLLA, Minister for Planning and International Cooperation;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE OF GUINEA-BISSAU:
Aristides MENEZES, State Secretary, Ministry for International Cooperation;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF EQUATORIAL GUINEA:
Alejandro Evuna OWONO, Minister of State entrusted with Missions to the Presidency of the Republic;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA:
James H. E. MATHESON, Ambassador Extraordinary, Head of the Mission of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to the European Communities;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI:
Yvon PERRIER, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cults;
THE HEAD OF STATE OF JAMAICA:
Leslie Armon WILSON, Ambassador, Head of the Mission of Jamaica to the European Communities;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA:
Dr Zacharia T. ONYONKA, MP, Minister for Planning and National Development;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI:
Michael T. SOMARE, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Papua New Guinea;
HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE KINGDOM OF LESOTHO:
Dr M. M. SEFALI, Minister of Planning, Economic and Manpower Development;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA:
Dr Elijah TAYLOR, Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF MADAGASCAR:
Georges Yvan SOLOFOSON, Minister for Trade;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI:
R. W. CHIRWA, MP, Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALI:
Dr Na'Golo TRAORE, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation;
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MILITARY COMMITTEE FOR NATIONAL SAFETY, HEAD OF STATE OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA,
Mohamed Lemine Ould Na'DIAYANE, Lieutenant-Colonel, Member and Permanent Secretary of the Military Committee for National Safety;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF MAURITIUS:
Murlidass DULLOO, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE:
Pascoal Manuel MOCUMBI, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME MILITARY COUNCIL, HEAD OF STATE OF NIGER:
Yacouba SANDI, State Secretary in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, responsible for Cooperation;
THE HEAD OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA:
Dr Chu S, P. OKONGWU, Minister of Finance and Economic Development;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA:
Abbey KAFUMBE-MUKASA, Deputy Minister of Finance;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA:
Michael T. SOMARE, CH, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE RWANDESE REPUBLIC:
Aloys NSEKALIJE, Colonel, Minister for Industry and Craft Trades;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS:
Edwin LAURENT, Minister Counsellor of the High Commission of Eastern Caribbean States in London;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF SAINT LUCIA:
Edwin LAURENT, Minister Counsellor of the High Commission of Eastern Caribbean States in London;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES:
Edwin LAURENT, Minister Counsellor of the High Commission of Eastern Caribbean States in London;
THE HEAD OF STATE OF WESTERN SAMOA:
Amua L. IJOANE, High Commissioner;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE:
Carlos FERREIRA, Minister for Socia! Infrastructure and the Environment;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SENEGAL:
Seydina Oumar SY, Minister for Trade;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES:
Claude MOREL, Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Seychelles Embassy in Paris;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE:
Leonard S. FOFANAH, Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Economic Planning;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS:
Lord REAY, Government Whip;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SOMALI DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC:
Ali HASSAN ALI, Ambassador, Head of the Mission of the Somali Democratic Republic to the European Communities;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE SUDAN:
Dr SAYED ALI ZAKI, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SURINAME:
Donald Aloysius MACLEOD, Ambassador Extraordinary, Head of the Mission of the Republic of Suriname to the European Communities;
HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND:
NKOMENI Douglas NITWANE, Senator, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA:
Joseph A. T. MUWOWO, Minister Plenipotentiary,
Chargé d'affaires ai. of the Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania to the European Communities;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHAD:
Ibni Oumar Mahamat SALEH, Minister for Planning and Cooperation;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE TOGOLESE REPUBLIC:
Barry Moussa BARQUE, Minister for Planning and Mining;
HIS MAJESTY KING TAUFA'AHAU TUPOU IV OF TONGA:
His Royal Highness Crown Prince TUPOUTO'A, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO:
Dr Sahadeo BASDEO, Senator,
Minister of External Affairs and International Trade;
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF TUVALU:
Peter FEIST, Honorary Consul to the Federal Republic of Germany;
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF VANUATU:
Harold Colin QUALAO, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Cooperatives, Industry and Energy;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAIRE: MOBUTU NYIWA,
State Commissioner for International Cooperation;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA:
RABBISON MAFESHI CHONGO, M. P., Minister of Commerce and Industry;
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE:
Dr O. M. MUNYARADZI, Minister of Trade and Commerce;
WHO, having exchanged their full powers, found in good and due form,
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
Body
Part One. GENERAL PROVISIONS OF ACP-EEC COOPERATION
Chapter 1. Objectives and Principles of Cooperation
Article 1.
The Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the ACP States, of the other part (hereinafter referred to as the "Contracting Parties"), hereby conclude this cooperation Convention in order to promote and expedite the economic, cultural and social development, of the ACP States and to consolidate and diversify their relations in a spirit of solidarity and mutual interest.
The Contracting Parties thereby affirm their undertaking to continue, strengthen and render more effective the system of cooperation established under the first, second and third ACP-EEC Conventions and confirm the special character of their relations, based on their reciprocal interest, and the specific nature of their cooperation.
The Contracting Parties hereby express their resolve to intensify their effort to create, with a view to a more just and balanced international economic order, a model for relations between developed and developing states and to work together to affirm in the international context the principles underlying their cooperation.
Article 2.
ACP-EEC cooperation, underpinned by a legally binding system and the existence of joint institutions, shall be exercised on the basis of the following fundamental principles:
- equality between partners, respect for their sovereignty, mutual interest and interdependence,
- the right of each State to determine its own political, social, cultural and economic policy options,
- security of their relations based on the acquis of their system of cooperation.
Article 3.
The ACP States shall determine the development prin- ciples, strategies and models for their economies and societies in all sovereignty.
Article 4.
Support shall be provided in ACP-EEC cooperation for the ACP States' efforts to achieve comprehensive self-reliant and self-sustained development based on their cultural and social values, their human capacities, their natural resources and their economic potential in order to promote the ACP States' social, cultural and economic progress and the well-being of their populations through the satisfaction of their basic needs, the recognition of the role of women and the enhancement of people's capacities, with respect for their dignity.
Such development shall be based on a sustainable balance between its economic objectives, the rational management of the environment and the enhancement of natural and human resources.
Article 5.
1. Cooperation shall be directed towards development centred on man, the main protagonist and beneficiary of development, which thus entails respect for and promotion of all human rights. Cooperation operations shall thus be conceived in accordance with the positive approach, where respect for human rights is recognized as a basic factor of real development and where cooperation is conceived as a contribution to the promotion of these rights.
In this context development policy and cooperation are closely linked with the respect for and enjoyment of fundamental human rights. The role and potential of initiatives taken by individuals and groups shall also be recognized and fostered in order to achieve in practice real participation of the population in the development process in accordance with Article 13.
2. Hence the Parties reiterate their deep attachment to human dignity and human rights, which are legitimate aspirations of individuals and peoples. The rights in question are all human rights, the various categories thereof being indivisible and inter-related, each having its own legitimacy; non-discriminatory treatment; fundamental human rights; civil and political rights; economic, social and cultural rights.
Every individual shall have the right, in his own country or in a host country, to respect for his dignity and protection by the law.
ACP-EEC cooperation shall help abolish the obstacles preventing individuals and peoples from actually enjoying to the full their economic, social and cultural rights and this must be achieved through the development which is essential to their dignity, their well-being and their self-fulfilment. To this end, the Parties shall strive, jointly or each in its own sphere of responsibility, to help eliminate the causes of situations of misery unworthy of the human condition and of deep-rooted economic and social inequalities.
The Contracting Parties hereby reaffirm their existing obligations and commitment in international law to strive to eliminate all forms of discrimination based on ethnic group, origin, race, nationality, colour, sex, language, religion or any other situation. This commitment applies more particularly to any situation in the ACP States or in the Community that may adversely affect the pursuit of the objectives of the Convention, and to the system of apartheid, having regard also to its destabilizing effects on the outside. The Member States (and/or, where appropriate, the Community itself) and the ACP States will continue to ensure, through the legal or administrative measures which they have or will have adopted, that migrant workers, students and other foreign nationals legally within their territory are not subjected to discrimination on the basis of racial, religious, cultural os social differences, notably in respect of housing, education, health care, other social services and employment.
3. At the request of the ACP States, financial resources may be allocated, in accordance with the rules governing development finance cooperation, to the promotion of human rights in the ACP States through specific schemes, public or private, that would be decided, particularly in the legal sphere, in consultation with bodies of internationally recognized competence in the field. Resources may also be given to support the establishment of structures to promote human rights. Priority shall be given to schemes of regional scope.
Article 6.
1. With a view to attaining more balanced and self-reliant economic development in the ACP States, special efforts shall be made under this Convention to promote rural development, food security for the people, rational management of natural resources, and the preservation, revival and strengthening of agricultural production potential in the ACP States.
2. The Contracting Parties recognize that priority must be given to environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources, which are essential conditions for sustainable and balanced development from both the economic and human viewpoints.
Article 7.
The Community and the ACP States shall give special importance and high priority to regional cooperation and integration. In this context, the Convention shall offer effective support for the ACP States' efforts to organize themselves into regional groupings and to step up their cooperation at regional and inter-regional level with a view to promoting a new, more just and more balanced economic order.
Article 8.
The Contracting Parties acknowledge the need to accord special treatment to the least-developed ACP States and to take account of the specific difficulties confronting the landlocked and island ACP States. They shall pay special attention to improving the living conditions of the poorest sections. of the population.
Cooperation shall comprise, inter alia, special treatment when determining the volume of financial resources and the conditions attached thereto in order to enable the least-developed ACP States to overcome structural and other obstacles to their development.