Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States

The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, formerly the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, is a grouping of nations from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands established through the Georgetown Agreement on June 6, 1975, and headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It is organized around sustainable development and poverty reduction in its member states and around promoting their integration into the global economy. All of its member states except Cuba have signed the Cotonou Agreement with the European Union, signed in Cotonou, Benin, in June 2000, which replaced the earlier Lome Conventions and expanded participation in development planning to civil society, the private sector, trade unions and local authorities. Many small island developing states belong to the organisation, and together its membership and the European Union represent more than 1.5 billion people and more than half the seats at the United Nations.