The Samoa Agreement is the overarching framework for European Union (EU) relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, to promote economic development, democracy, and human rights.
The agreement has been signed by the 27 member states from the EU and 79 countries worldwide, including 48 African, 16 Caribbean, and 15 Pacific nations. Around 2 billion people are covered by the agreement.
Africa: South Africa, Angola, Cape Verde, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia , Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Chad, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
The Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Saint Christophe and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
The Pacific: Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
By signing the agreement, these countries aim to address global challenges and promote cooperation in various areas. The agreement provides a platform for its members to work together towards sustainable development, economic growth, and improved living standards for their citizens and their rights.
The priorities include human rights, democracy and governance; peace and security; human and social development; inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development; environmental sustainability and climate change; and mobility/migration.
The Samoa Agreement also contains clauses about the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity, which are interpreted as LGBTQ rights.
However, among the signatories to the Samoa Agreement are countries with anti-LGBTQ laws, including those governed by Islamic laws or with a predominantly Muslim population.
Samoa itself, where the agreement is named after for hosting the foundation summit, criminalises same-sex relations between men. In fact, consensual same-sex relations are illegal in over 30 African countries.
Either these countries haven't read the whole agreement or they don't intend to comply with it in this matter, giving further credence to the fact that the agreement does not mandate them to become pro-LGBTQ.
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