Speakers

Dr. Patrick Ignatius Gomes of Guyana was elected the new Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) at the 100th Session of the Group’s Council of Ministers, held at ACP Headquarters in Brussels on December 10, 2014.

Prior to taking up his position as the Secretary General of the ACP Group, Dr. Gomes served as Guyana’s Ambassador to Belgium and the European Community and as Guyana’s representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO). Dr. Gomes also served as Chair of the Working Group on Future Perspectives of the ACP Group.

He was the Dean of ACP Ambassadors in Brussels, and Chair of the Sub-Committee on Sugar and previously served as Chair of the Committee of Ambassadors, a decision-making body of the ACP Group.

Dr Gomes has also worked for the United Nations as a senior adviser in Human Resources Development at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. He has authored numerous publications in the areas of development and social policy analysis and served as Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Maastricht-based think tank, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM).

Dr. Gomes will serve as Secretary General for the ACP for the period 2015 – 2020.