The fourth Summit of the Heads of State and governments of the ACP countries, which took place from 21-24 June in Maputo, Mozambique, convened under the theme “Together Shaping Our Future.” The Summit considered issues relating to and took decisions on: peace, security and stability; the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); intra-ACP cooperation; ACP-EU relations; negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements; and WTO negotiations.

The Summit further adopted a resolution on ACP sugar in light of the ongoing review of the European Commission’s sugar regime.
On the MDGs, ACP leaders took a decision to mandate the ACP Council of Ministers to: take the necessary steps in reviewing and assessing the impact of ACP-EU Cooperation programmes on the attainment of the MDG s; organize regular consultations between the ACP States and other States or regional and international organizations on experiences and progress achieved by member States towards the attainment of the respective set targets of the MDGs; and take action to launch an appeal for donors to strongly support the efforts of developing countries towards the attainment of MDGs.
On WTO negotiations, the ACP leaders expressed concern at the lack of progress in key areas for the group such as in special and differential treatment for vulnerable developing country groups. According to ICTSD, ACP leaders welcomed the emergence of the G-90 group within the WTO context, whereby the ACP countries have combined forces with the least developed countries (LDCs) and the African Union in an effort to bolster their negotiating position.
The meeting also concluded with the adoption of the Maputo Declaration, which addresses peace, security and stability, multilateralism, sustainable development, visibility of the ACP group, and external relations. The section on sustainable development deals with the economic, social, environmental and cultural dimensions of development, and ICT for development. The subsection on economic dimensions of development considers financing for development, private sector development, trade and agriculture, while the subsection on social development addresses universal primary education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, water and sanitation, and migration.
Links to further information
Fourth ACP Summit website
Maputo Declaration
Maputo Decisions and Resolutions
ICTSD Bridges Weekly, 30 June 2004