Lusofonia is the Portuguese word used to designate the Portuguese speaking Countries and communities.
But Lusofonia is also used to designate the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, incorporating Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Principe and East-Timor.
This community was founded on July 17th 1996 with the purpose of extending friendship amongst its members and fostering cooperation among its Governments and peoples.
Its member states are key players in international forums such as the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of American States, Mercosur, the African Union, the South African Development Community, and, in the case of East-Timor, an observer and future member of ASEAN.
CPLP's main goals are:
- The facilitation of joint political and diplomatic actions by its member states, with a view to strengthening their say in international affairs;
- The intensification of bilateral and multilateral cooperation among member states, especially in areas such as Health, Education, Agriculture, Public Administration and Technology;
- The creation of initiatives aiming at consolidating and promoting the Portuguese Language.
CPLP´s guidelines and priorities are established at the biannual Conference of Heads of State and the Organization's action plan is approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers, which meets every year.
The Organization's Executive Secretariat is responsible for designing and implementing CPLP´s projects and initiatives. This is located in Lisbon, Portugal. The Executive Secretary has a two year mandate and can be re-elected only once.
Amongst the initiatives undertaken by the Organization, the following projects can be singled out:
(a) CPLP´s HIV-Aids Programme - designed to help the 5 African member states to control the epidemic with both medical and educational initiatives;
(b) Centre for the Development of Entrepreneurial Skills - established in Luanda, Angola, with the purpose of promoting small and medium sized enterprises.
(c) Centre for the Development of Public Administration - established in Maputo, Mozambique, with the purpose of training government officials and disseminating modern administration methods in CPLP countries;
(d) Centre for East-Timorese Official Languages - aiming at consolidating the use of Portuguese and Tetum in the newly independent Republic, as a means of strengthening East-Timor's cultural and political identity;
(e) Conference on Malaria - to be held in São Tomé with specialists in the treatment and prevention of this tropical disease, which annually kills more people than any other single condition in the Third World;
(f) Portuguese Language Census - a project designed to map the number, proficiency and challenges of the Portuguese speaker in the world;
(g) Digital School and University - a project which will use the Internet to promote home-based education in member states, especially in areas far removed from learning centres.
(adapted from CPLP website)