Uganda’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has called on African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to strengthen their collective voice in engagements with the European Union (EU), arguing that unity is essential for securing fairer trade arrangements, increased investment and climate financing.
Tayebwa made the appeal on Sunday, November 8, 2026, while chairing the 65th Session of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels, Belgium, in his first session as president of the Assembly.
He challenged legislators from the 79-member organisation to abandon fragmented national approaches when engaging European counterparts and instead negotiate as a unified regional bloc.
Tayebwa said Europe’s strength in international negotiations stems partly from its ability to speak with one voice, a strategy he believes OACPS countries should adopt to improve their bargaining power.
“When we are engaging with our European countries, you will not hear them talking about their country. They will be talking about Europe as a region. We want in our engagement tomorrow with our European counterparts to be guided by unity,” he said.
He added that OACPS representatives must approach international engagements with the interests of the entire organisation in mind rather than advancing individual national positions.
“When you are speaking, you are speaking for Africa, the Caribbean, for the Pacific, not just for your country. That’s the only way we shall be able to match these people,” Tayebwa said.
His remarks come amid efforts to strengthen the organisation’s institutional structures and reposition its parliamentary assembly as a more effective platform for international parliamentary diplomacy under the Samoa Agreement.
The agreement provides the framework for cooperation between the OACPS and the European Union, covering areas such as trade, investment, sustainable development, climate change, governance, peace and security.
Tayebwa’s push for a united negotiating position is aimed at ensuring that member states use the partnership to advance their shared development priorities and secure more meaningful outcomes from engagements with the EU.
Batraki calls for solidarity among 79 member states
OACPS Secretary-General Moussa Batraki also challenged member states to turn the organisation’s diversity into an advantage rather than allowing differing national and regional priorities to undermine collective action.
“Our collective force resides precisely in this ability to combine the diversity of our priorities and the solidarity that unites our 79 member states,” Batraki said.
He noted that the emerging parliamentary architecture under the Samoa Agreement places additional responsibility on the organisation to maintain unity while providing space for individual regions to articulate their specific interests.
Tayebwa also expressed concern over delays by some member states in ratifying the Samoa Agreement, urging legislators to engage their respective national authorities to accelerate the process.
“I encourage colleagues to follow up with their national authorities so that ratification moves fast and we move from provision to full implementation,” he said.
Tayebwa pushes for independent financing
The Assembly’s financial sustainability also featured prominently in the discussions, with Tayebwa advocating for a funding mechanism that would enable the organisation to finance its activities without depending entirely on external support, particularly from the European Union.
He argued that institutional reforms and changes to the Assembly’s rules would have little impact without reliable financial resources to implement agreed priorities.
“Reliable financing is essential if we are to organise our own activities and follow through on our priorities. We cannot continue to depend on external support only to determine when and how we meet,” he said.
His proposal received backing from regional representatives, including Pacific Regional Parliamentary Group President Renata Tamapua, who supported the establishment of a common parliamentary fund.
Tamapua said contributions should reflect the different financial capacities of member states, geographical challenges and the high costs associated with international travel.
She emphasised the importance of predictable and sustainable financing to enable the Assembly to undertake activities even between its formal sessions.
Climate finance takes centre stage
In a separate session, OACPS legislators resolved to place climate change financing at the centre of the organisation’s engagements with the European Union, calling for reforms to international financial arrangements to enable vulnerable countries to respond to climate disasters without accumulating unsustainable debt.
Tayebwa said African, Caribbean and Pacific countries must collectively demand climate justice, arguing that nations contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions are bearing some of the heaviest consequences of climate change.
He challenged the international community to ensure that countries responsible for the largest share of emissions take greater responsibility for financing climate adaptation and resilience in vulnerable regions.
“The ones who are emitting a lot are not feeling the impact, as we are, who are emitting less. If you look at the OACPS countries, in total, we don’t emit more than, on average, more than six per cent. But the impact is huge on us,” he told delegates.
He cited rising sea levels, coastal erosion and destruction of coral reefs in the Caribbean, alongside drought, hunger and famine in Africa, as some of the devastating consequences facing OACPS member states.
He also highlighted the increasingly difficult conditions confronting Pacific island countries, many of which face significant threats from rising sea levels and other climate-related disasters.
Tayebwa contrasted the experiences of these vulnerable countries with those of wealthier nations, which have greater financial capacity to invest in climate adaptation, disaster preparedness and protection of their populations.
Delegates argued that the existing international financial system does not adequately recognise the economic vulnerabilities of countries repeatedly affected by climate-related disasters.
Barbados calls for Bridgetown Initiative support
Barbados delegate Dwight Sutherland said climate change had become an immediate threat to the economic stability of small island developing states, extending beyond environmental concerns to undermine their ability to finance development.
He called on the OACPS to support the Bridgetown Initiative, which seeks to reform the international financial architecture and improve access to affordable financing for climate-vulnerable countries.
The initiative advocates for financial arrangements that allow vulnerable economies to respond to climate shocks, invest in resilience and pursue development without being pushed further into debt.
“The Bridgetown Initiative seeks to reform the international financial architecture so that climate-vulnerable countries can respond to shocks, invest in resilience, and finance their development on affordable terms,” Sutherland said.
The climate financing debate is expected to shape the OACPS’s engagements with the European Union as member states seek more equitable financing arrangements and stronger international commitments to address climate change.
For Tayebwa, the discussions underscore the need for the 79-member organisation to combine its diplomatic, economic and parliamentary influence to negotiate more effectively on issues affecting its populations.
His presidency now faces the task of translating calls for unity, institutional reform and financial independence into practical outcomes that strengthen the OACPS’s voice in global affairs.
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