His Majesty King Mswati III on behalf of the Kingdom of Eswatini, pledged 1.5 million Euros (approximately E30 million) towards the Organisation of African Caribbean and Pacific States’ resource mobilisation drive.
The king made the pledge yesterday as the champion of the resource mobilisation exercise at the 11th Summit of the OACPS held in Equatorial Guinea.
His Majesty stated that the organisation urgently needs about 10 million Euros (approximately E200 million) to settle its debts and normalise its operations.
The king said it was important that as member States they stand up and contribute financially for the OACPS survival.
The roundtable of member States led by his majesty the king as champion of the resource mobilisation, raised 12.8 million Euros (which is approximately E252 million).
Other countries that made pledges were Equatorial Guinea with 5 million Euros, Angola with 3 million Euros, Tanzania and Mozambique contributed 2 million euros in total.
Some member States promised to touch base with their governments and will contact the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels to report how much they would be pledging.
The king appreciated the support from member States saying their commitment encourages stakeholders and partners who support the organisation when they see it is genuinely concerned about its affairs.
“We have come to the stage where all of us as member States are going to make voluntary contributions in order to resuscitate the work of our organisation.
“As the champion of resource mobilisation, the Kingdom of Eswatini is pleased to lead by example by contributing a sum of 1.5 million Euros to support the work of the OACPS,” the king said.
He said if the organisation was to secure its future, it must act decisively on sustainable financing.
“First, we urge all member States that are in arrears to honour their financial obligations. Our organisation cannot function effectively if contributions are not paid.
Meeting these obligations is not only a legal duty under our framework, but also a demonstration of commitment to our shared vision.
“Second, we encourage all member States and partners to make voluntary contributions to strengthen the financial base of the organisation.
‘‘We must contribute over and above our minimum obligations and embrace a culture of collective responsibility and solidarity,” the king said.
His Majesty said the future of the OACPS depends on what they as member States do now.
“Let us transform this moment into a turning point, where commitments are translated into resources and resources into results. Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient and more self-reliant OACPS,” he said.
