The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) was established in 1983 under the Lomé Convention between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and EU member states. Since 2000 CTA has operated within the framework of the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement with a mission to “strengthen policy and institutional capacity development and information and communication management capacities of ACP agricultural and rural development organisations. It assists such organisations in formulating and implementing policies and programmes to reduce poverty, promote sustainable food security, preserve the natural resource base and thus contribute to building self-reliance in ACP rural and agricultural development.”. The centre is closed in 2020, after the end of the Cotonou Agreement and the subsequent end of its financing. Background CTA is mainly funded by the European Union. It initially focused on information dissemination but, more recently, has moved towards implementing some technical programmes. It works primarily with partner organisations at regional level in the Caribbean and Pacific and at sub-regional level in Africa. CTA celebrated its 30th anniversary in Brussels on 4 April 2014. The centre, which is based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, is active in seventy nine ACP countries. It also has an office in Brussels. Although it does not work in non-ACP countries, participants from these countries are welcome to attend its annual conferences and to download its publications. While CTA's resources are derived mainly from the European Development Fund, it also obtains funding from other European programmes, countries or donors through grants or co-funding for operations. Key activities Programmes CTA focuses on three key areas: Multi-stakeholder policy formulation and implementation at national, regional and international levels. Discussion of issues such as food and nutritional security, the impact of climate change on agriculture, regional trade, and agricultural innovation is promoted, with an emphasis on the involvement of farmers’ groups, the private sector, women and youth. CTA works with policy-makers in the ACP and the EU to promote dialogue and convey key policy messages. Efficient agricultural value chains. With partners in ACP countries, CTA works to maximize inclusion of smallholders in new, more sophisticated value chains as well as to strengthen their involvement in priority food crop and commodity markets. Improving market information, promoting the flow of finance to and through value chains, and improving capacity of key players at all stages of chains are some of the centre's priority areas, as is the development