The executive secretary of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) said on Tuesday that Ireland’s cooperation as an associate observer country of the organisation should begin with the “International Coalition for the Promotion of Sustainable Territorial Food Systems” initiative.
Zacarias da Costa, the guest of honour of the video conference on geopolitics organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), taking place in Dublin, Ireland, highlighted in his speech the activities of the CPLP but took the opportunity to highlight the place that Ireland can occupy in the dynamics of the community.
Stressing “the importance of Ireland in the CPLP, through its status as an associated observer,” Costa added: “In addition to the Portuguese-speaking population in Ireland, the fundamental principles and values shared with the member states of the CPLP and with this organisation, namely freedom, democracy, human rights serve and will serve as a foundation in the present and future journey of achieving the objectives of the CPLP.”
For Zacarias da Costa, in the journey are foreseen actions that can “already pave the way for such cooperation between the CPLP and Ireland”.
The “International Coalition for the Promotion of Sustainable Territorial Food Systems” initiative, proposed by the CPLP following the World Summit on Sustainable Food Systems (UNFSS), according to the executive secretary, has been presented by the organisation to other associated observer countries, such as Ireland.
The coalition’s main objective is to contribute to strengthening an international architecture “of multi-level governance to promote sustainable food systems, including its importance in the international political agenda, institutionalisation, financing and impact”, he explained.
The objective, he specified, is to “design and implement multi-level food systems governance structures” using a territorial approach [through mapping food systems governance structures, elaborating territorial diagnostics and promoting knowledge exchanges] “and expand global information and awareness on territorial food system governance”.
According to Zacarias da Costa, the CPLP executive secretariat has already held several working meetings on this topic with representatives of the associated observers.
“We will be pleased to have Ireland participate in one of our future meetings to learn more about this initiative,” he added.
Ireland was one of 13 countries granted associate observer status at the previous CPLP Conference of Heads of State and Government, which took place, in Luanda, Angola, on 17 July 2021.
In today’s online conference, Zacarias da Costa presented the CPLP as “a historical inevitability” and as an organisation that “is not the past, it is the future,” which over 26 years “has been broadening and simultaneously deepening its action,” and the number of member states, partnerships and scope of action to other sectors of activity.
As for future challenges, the Executive Secretary pointed out that finding a way for the organisation to take “greater advantage of this privileged relationship” with its 32 associated observers and with future candidates.
“It is with this intention,” he explained, that the CPLP is reviewing the regulations for associated observers, intending to establish “a roadmap for cooperation based on concrete actions, on matters of common interest, registered and aligned with the action strategy of the organisation.
“We are receiving expressions of interest – as is the case of Australia or Rwanda, which have already been formalised – but we are not considering applications until the conclusion of the regulatory review process, which we hope will occur by the next summit,” he said.
Another challenge for the CPLP in the short term, Zacarias da Costa said, was “the promotion of a framework to facilitate economic and business cooperation, particularly through the internationalisation of companies, mutual protection of investments and the increase of trade,” after the Luanda Summit approved the resolution on the “Creation of the New General Objective of Economic Cooperation,” which contemplates the possibility of this sector is included in the organisation’s statutes.
“In this first phase, the strategic agenda advocates, above all, actions aimed at consolidating intra-CPLP economic cooperation,” he said.
But, according to Zacarias da Costa, “the dissemination of information about the markets of the CPLP countries is also a priority, which is fundamental to drive foreign trade and attracting foreign investment, as well as the development of international partnerships, namely with associated observers.
Finally, he mentioned the challenge of “bringing the CPLP closer to its citizens”, highlighting the importance of the Mobility Agreement, already ratified by all member states “with remarkable celerity: 15 months”.
In addition to the challenge of “strengthening the means” for the promotion and dissemination of the Portuguese language “both within the CPLP, and externally, for which it is important to capture the contribution of associated observers,” he stressed.
Lusa
