If ACP States are to emerge as strong actors in the global economy, close regional cooperation of policy makers and relevant national and regional organisations will be an essential condition, including coordinated action to address common challenges in education for sustainable development and trade.

ACP countries need to increase their capacity for research on regional integration issues and improve mechanisms to disseminate research results among national policy makers. Expertise and high quality academic programmes in the fields of trade and sustainable national and regional economic development are essential in view of the need to bridge the capacity gap and enable countries to fully enjoy the benefits of an open, rules-based multilateral trade system.