(1)

In accordance with Article 15(2) of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, the functions of the Council of Ministers include taking any decision to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the Agreement.

(2)

Article 100 of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement states that certain Annexes may be revised, reviewed and/or amended by the Council of Ministers on the basis of a recommendation from the ACP-EU Development Finance Cooperation Committee.

(3)

Annex Ic of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement should be revised in order to reassign funds between cooperation instruments under the European Development Fund towards the intra-ACP and interregional cooperation instrument. The reassigned funds are to contribute to the financing of the Spotlight initiative and to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The Spotlight initiative is a joint EU-UN global action aimed at preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in targeted countries. On the basis of evidence, the Spotlight initiative will focus on particular forms of sexual and gender-based violence that are prevalent or prominently emerge in specific regions, thus contributing to reaching the sustainable development goal No 5 (SDG 5) on ‘Gender Equality’. The GPE's overall objective is to mobilise global and national efforts to achieve quality education and learning for all, through inclusive partnership, a focus on effective education systems, and financing for basic education. Both initiatives are in line with the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement as well as with the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development that promote a more comprehensive approach to human development. For education, this approach means more support for inclusive and equitable quality education for all and life-long learning (SDG 4), with a strong focus on promoting gender equality (SDG 5),

‘(a)

EUR 23 940 million to finance national and regional indicative programmes. This allocation will be used to finance:

(b)

EUR 4 015 million to finance intra-ACP and interregional cooperation with many or all of the ACP States in accordance with Articles 12 to 14 of Annex IV to this Agreement concerning implementation and management procedures. This envelope shall include support to joint institutions and bodies created under this Agreement. It shall also cover assistance with the operating expenditure of the ACP Secretariat referred to in points 1 and 2 of Protocol No 1 on the operating expenditure of the joint institutions;’.