Conference on fifty years of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States

What has the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) achieved over the past fifty years? How have its partnerships and principles evolved in response to shifting global landscapes? What challenges and opportunities lie ahead as the OACPS navigates a rapidly changing world? These questions anchor a moment of critical reflection and renewed vision as we mark a milestone in global diplomacy and interregional solidarity.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the OACPS, the African Studies Centre Leiden will host a full-day conference on Friday 6 June 2025. Bringing together scholars, policymakers, diplomats, development practitioners, and students, the conference offers a platform for deep engagement with the organisation’s legacy and relevance. Organised by the Collaborative Research Group Governance, Entrepreneurship, and Inclusive Development (GEID), the event will explore the OACPS’s impact across five decades, including its founding ideals, evolving partnerships, policy challenges, and future direction. Through keynote speeches, roundtable dialogues, and networking opportunities, we invite you to reflect, connect, and envision what lies ahead. Join us for a day of critical thought, shared purpose, and hopeful possibility.

All those interested in attending and contributing to the discussions are warmly welcome.

Conference programme

09:00 – 09:30 | Arrival and Registration
Participants arrive and register. Tea, coffee, and light refreshments will be served.

09:30 – 09:45 | Welcome Address, Professor Marleen Dekker
Director, African Studies Centre Leiden
Opening reflections on the OACPS at 50 and the evolving role of knowledge, policy, and partnerships

Keynote Sessions
Note: Each speaker will deliver a 30-minute keynote, followed by a 15-minute moderated audience Q&A led by Dr. Ayokunu Adedokun.

09:45 – 10:30 | Keynote 1, Professor Cátia Miriam Costa
Director, Chair of Interregionalism and Global Governance, Lisbon University Institute
Topic: Understanding the past and fostering the future after 50 years: The OACPS Between Interregionalism and Globalisation
Q&A: 10:15 – 10:30

10:30 – 11:15 | Keynote 2, Dr. Mark Langan
Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy, King’s College London
Topic: Sovereignism and African States’ Discontent with Geopolitical Europe in the Era of the OACPS-EU Samoa Agreement
Q&A: 11:00 – 11:15

11:15 – 12:00 | Keynote 3
Dr. Prema Elumalai
Professor of Law & Assistant Dean,VIT School of Law,VIT Chennai.

Dr. P.R.L. Rajavenkatesan
Professor of Law, VIT School of Law, VIT Chennai.

Dr. Shruti Kakkar
Assistant Professor, School of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Mr. O.V. Ragul 
International Law Researcher, Madras High Court, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Topic: Advancing Ocean Governance Through South–South Cooperation – The Role of the OACPS in Building Climate Resilience and Sustainable Blue Economies
Q&A: 11:45 – 12:00

12:00 – 13:00 | Coffee Break & Lunch Reception
Buffet lunch served in the main hall.

13:00 – 13:45 | Keynote 4, Mr. Domenico Rosa
Head of Unit, Strategic Partnerships with Africa and the OACPS, European Commission
Topic: Transformative Partnerships: The Samoa Agreement as a Catalyst for EU–OACPS Progress
Q&A: 13:30 – 13:45

13:45 – 14:30 | Keynote 5, Dr. Niels Keijzer
Senior Researcher and Project Lead, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
Topic: (Re)Inventing the OACPS – Confronting New Chapters and Existential Questions on Its 50th Anniversary
Q&A: 14:15 – 14:30

14:30 – 15:15 | Keynote 6, Dr. Okey Ndubueze (African Development Documentation   Initiative, Delft) and Professor Chibuike Uche (Stephen Ellis Professor of the Governance of Finance and Integrity in Africa, African Studies Centre Leiden University).
Topic: Beyond Brussels: Evaluating the OACPS Commitment to Intra-Group Solidarity and South–South Cooperation, 1975–2025
Q&A: 15:00– 15:15

15:15 – 15:45 | Networking Break

15:45 – 16:45 | Roundtable Discussion
OACPS @50: Partnerships That Matter: Diplomacy, Development, and the Future of the OACPS
Moderator: Dr. David Ehrhardt, Chair of LeidenASA and Associate Professor of International Development at Leiden University College

• Featuring Reflections from:
  • OACPS
  • Ambassadors and Diplomatic Delegates
  • Academic Contributors and Development Experts

16:45 – 17:00 | Closing Reflections, Professor Chibuike Uche, Chairholder of the Stephen Ellis Chair for the Governance of Finance and Integrity in Africa at the African Studies Centre, Leiden University, the Netherlands.

17:00– 18:00 | Closing Reception
Drinks and light refreshments will be served.

All inquiries about this conference should be sent to:

Dr. Ayo Adedokun
Leiden University College, Den Haag, the Netherland.
Email: a.b.adedokun@luc.leidenuniv.nl

Professor Dr. Chibuike Uche
African Studies Centre, Leiden University, the Netherlands
Email: c.u.uche@asc.leidenuniv.nl