Community of Portuguese Language Countries

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Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa
Community of Portuguese Language Countries
Location of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries
Headquarters Lisbon, Portugal
38°46′N 9°11′W / 38.767, -9.183
Official language Portuguese
Membership 8 (plus 2 observers)
Leaders
 -  Executive Secretariat Luís de Matos Monteiro da Fonseca
Establishment 1996
Website
http://www.cplp.org

The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Portuguese: Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, pron. IPA: [kumuni'dad(ɨ) duʃ pɐ'izɨʒ dɨ 'lĩŋgwɐ puɾtu'gezɐ] (EP), IPA: [komuni'dadʒi dus pa'izis dʒi 'lĩŋgwa poɾtu'gezɐ] (BP); abbreviated to CPLP) is a forum for friendship among lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) nations where Portuguese is an official language. The Portuguese-speaking countries are home to more than 223 million people located across the globe. The CPLP nations have a combined area of about 10,772,000 square kilometres (4,159,000 sq mi), which is larger than Canada.

Contents

[edit] The formation and member states

The CPLP was formed in 1996 with seven countries: Portugal, Brazil, a former colony in South America, and five former colonies in Africa — Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. East Timor joined the community in 2002 after regaining independence from Indonesia.

The CPLP is a bloc in the process of construction and the societies of the eight member nations have little knowledge of each other. One of the unique features of the CPLP is that its members are linked by a common language and shared cultural features, which form a bridge among countries separated by great distances and on different continents.

In 2005, during a meeting in Luanda, the ministers of culture of the eight countries declared the May 5th as the Lusophone Culture Day (Dia da Cultura Lusófona in Portuguese).

In July 2006, during the Bissau summit, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius were admitted as Associate Observers[1] along with 17 International associations and organizations considered as Consultative Observers.

[edit] Members

[edit] Associate Observers

When the CPLP was formed, Equatorial Guinea asked for observer status. Equatorial Guinea was a former Portuguese colony until the 18th century and has some territories where Portuguese-based creole languages are spoken and cultural connections with São Tomé and Príncipe and Portugal are felt. Also, the country has recently cooperated with Portuguese-speaking African countries and Brazil at an educational level. At the CPLP summit of July 2004, in São Tomé and Príncipe, the member states agreed to change the statutes of the community to accept states as associate observers.

Mauritius, which was unknown to Europeans until the Portuguese sailed there and has strong connections with Mozambique, also obtained associate observer status in 2006.

Morocco has expressed interest in observer status. Macau is not able to, as it is not an independent state.

[edit] The importance of the CPLP

Flags of the member states of the CPLP countries.
Flags of the member states of the CPLP countries.

The Portuguese-speaking countries are home to more than 223 million people located across the globe but having cultural similarities and a shared history. The CPLP nations have a combined area of about 10,742,000 square kilometres (4,148,000 sq mi), which is larger than Canada.

Since its formation, the CPLP has helped to solve problems in São Tomé and Príncipe and in Guinea-Bissau, because of coups d'etat in those countries. These two problems were solved, and in fact, have helped these two countries to take economic reforms (in the case of São Tomé) and democratic ones (in the case of Guinea-Bissau).

The leaders of the CPLP believe that peace in Angola and Mozambique as well as East Timor's independence will favour the further development of the CPLP and a strengthening of multilateral cooperation.

Since many children in rural areas of Lusophone Africa and East Timor are out-of-school youth, the education officials in these regions seek help from Portugal and Brazil to increase the education to spread Portuguese fluency (like establishing Instituto Camões language center branches in main cities and rural towns), as Portuguese is becoming one of the main languages in Southern Africa, where it is also taught in Namibia and South Africa.

In many developing world, Portuguese-speaking nations, Portuguese is the language of Government and Commerce which means that Portuguese speaking people from African nations can work and communicate with others in different parts of the world, especially in Portugal and Brazil, where the economies are stronger. Many leaders of Portuguese speaking nations in Africa are fearful that language standards do not meet the fluency required and are therefore making it compulsory in schools so that a higher degree of fluency is achieved and young Africans will be able to speak a world language that will help them later in life.

[edit] The CPLP System

The Organization’s Executive Secretariat is responsible for designing and implementing the CPLP's projects and initiatives. It is located in Lisbon, Portugal. The Executive Secretary has a two-year mandate, and can be re-elected only once.

The CPLP's guidelines and priorities are established by biannual Conference of Heads of State and the Organization’s plan of action is approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers, which meets every year.

There are also monthly meetings of the Permanent Steering Committee that follow specific initiatives and projects.

The CPLP is mainly financed by its eight member states.

The CPLP flag has now eight wings, not seven, to reflect East Timor's membership.

[edit] Executive Secretaries

Name Took Office Left Office Country
Marcolino Moco 17 July 1996 July 2000 Angola
Dulce Maria Pereira July 2000 1 August 2002 Brazil
João Augusto de Médicis 1 August 2002 April 2004 Brazil
Zeferino Martins (Interim) April 2004 July 2004 Mozambique
Luís de Matos Monteiro da Fonseca July 2004 Present Cape Verde

[edit] Main initiatives

  • CPLP's HIV-Aids Programme – designed to help the 5 African member states
  • Centre for the Development of Entrepreneurial Skills – being established in Luanda, Angola
  • Centre for the Development of Public Administration – being established in Maputo, Mozambique
  • Centre for East-Timorese Official Languages
  • Conference on Malaria – to be held in São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Portuguese Language Census
  • Digital School and University
  • Electoral Mission to Guinea-Bissau (East Timor’s President, the Nobel Prize laureate, José Ramos-Horta is CPLP's Representative to the Electoral Process)
  • Emergency Project for the Support of Institution Rebuilding in Guinea-Bissau
  • Rebuilding East Timor’s Justice and Public Administration
  • Combating Poverty and Starvation
  • "Felino" manoeuvres - annual combined manoeuvres of the Armed Forces of CPLP's countries
  • The CPLP Movie festival

[edit] References

  1. ^ CPLP Associate Observers in CPLP Official website

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


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Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
Members:
Observers: