Brazil cedes Lusophone Community chair to Cape Verde

Cape Verdean President Jorge Carlos de Almeida Fonseca today (Jul. 18) took the helm of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries—CPLP in the original—previously chaired by Brazil’s Michel Temer. His term is to last from 2018 to 2020. The topic under discussion will be People, Culture, Oceans.

Temer and the other presidents and prime ministers from the CPLP member states pointed out that the topic is closely connected to the central issue adopted under the Brazilian administration, The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as far as the appropriate use of oceans and environment protection are concerned.

President Michel Temer takes part in the CPLP Conference of Heads of State and Government. – Alan Santos / Brazilian Presidential Office

The goals set for the next administration and the achievements made are listed in the 21-page-long Santa Maria Declaration, signed by Temer and the other heads of state, on Sal Island, Cape Verde.

During the 12th CPLP Conference of Heads of State and Government, the presidents signed four declarations, on people and mobility, the Portuguese language, culture and creative industry, and seas and oceans. Also inked were resolutions on the Action Plan of Dili, and measures linked to sustainability.

Towards the end of the event, the leaders celebrated the election of Brazilian lawmaker Mara Gabrilli for the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a position to be occupied from 2019 to 2022, and that of Portuguese António Vitorino for the post of Director-General with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), also under the UN.

Integration with the UN

In interview with the press, Temer said the CPLP meeting represented an opportunity for “topics relevant to Brazil and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries to be discussed, especially those of particular relevance under the Brazilian administration, when integration was forged between the UN and CPLP, with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

The Portuguese-speaking world

Created in 1996, CPLP is formed by nine countries: Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor.

In addition to the member states, the community is joined by associated countries that do not have Portuguese as their main language, and occupy forum seats to discuss development and cooperation projects. Associated countries include Mauritius, Senegal, Georgia, Japan, Namibia, Turkey, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Uruguay. Nine others are pending approval.