Our vision for 2021 – A message from COLEACP’s Chairman and General Delegate

Sending good wishes in this New Year is strange considering the difficulties that most people are facing. Caught between the pre-pandemic world and the unknown of tomorrow’s society, we must focus on the opportunities for positive change that this situation offers us in order to view life with optimism.

Overall, 2020 has taught us that:

• The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed and even accelerated the evolution of our society and its manifestations.
• The pandemic has increased inequalities all over the world; the most vulnerable populations are once again the hardest hit, and not only in emerging countries.
• Climate change – and more generally the environmental challenge linked to the expansion of the human species through the large-scale destruction of terrestrial ecosystems – is, if not the cause, then at least a factor that has contributed to the current pandemic (and future pandemics).
• The fourth (digital) industrial revolution is accelerating, bringing constraints but also tremendous opportunities. The place of the human being within these evolving systems is crucial, as are mechanisms for continuous learning in order to keep pace with developments.
• We have now entered into a multipolar geopolitical dynamic. Within this framework, a united Europe (although unfortunately recently reduced by one) seems to be the most credible way to carry forward a multilateral model centred on sustainable lifestyles, particularly with its historical partners such as the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
• Flooding the world with contradictory information has never been easier. Therefore our ability to process information, to cope with change, to constantly reinvent ourselves, to take action and to maintain a balanced life both personally and professionally, is increasingly essential.

In 2021 and beyond, the COLEACP family has the opportunity, and also the responsibility, to be a front-line player in our major societal challenges. The issues to which we strive to make a positive contribution matter: reducing poverty and inequality, enhancing food security and nutrition through a transition to sustainable agri-food systems, and protecting biodiversity in a context of climate change.

Addressing these issues in a holistic and pragmatic way requires concerted efforts with our partners, and also technical and scientific rigour that can stand up to today’s complex political and media context.

2021 has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables. As this sector has historically been COLEACP’s main area of activity, we welcome this initiative very positively. In this context, we will endeavour to highlight the women, men and especially young people in ACP countries who are committed to the sustainable and inclusive development of their horticulture. This will be a good way to contribute to the defence of virtuous agricultural value chains, the interests of thousands of MSMEs and millions of producers, and a model of ACP-EU partnership based on the sustainability of our agricultural and food ecosystem.

COLEACP’s areas of development, determined at the end of 2019 before the emergence of the pandemic, must be pursued and accelerated, particularly the digital and local anchoring of the association and its programmes. Our vision, mission and values provide us with a stable framework, and our modus operandi continues to evolve so that we remain operational and adapted to current challenges. This implies versatility and complementarities in terms of tasks, roles and responsibilities within the network, and the digitisation and decentralisation of our activities.

Let’s work together, at our level, to protect and build a better and fairer world, in line with the cyclical and systemic changes we will face in the coming years. This is what we hope to achieve in 2021 by involving the entire network of the association in this process.

Hoping that we will be able to meet again soon, we wish you all the best for 2021.

Stephen Mintah, Chairman

Jeremy Knops, General Delegate