The Azorean Diaspora Council (CDA) will meet at a plenary session at the Conceição Palace in Ponta Delgada on May 7 and 8, a meeting hosted by the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for the Communities.
An advisory body to the Azorean Government, the Council was set up in 2019 and electorally established in 2021, with the aim of ensuring the participation, collaboration and consultation of representatives of the Azorean communities throughout the world.
The opening session “The Councillors in the Diaspora” will take place on May 7 at 10 am, and will be chaired by the President of the Azorean Government, José Manuel Bolieiro. During the morning, the diaspora councillors elected by Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America, Portugal, Uruguay and other regions of the world will have the opportunity to share information, express concerns and make suggestions, with a view to promoting dialogue and addressing challenges faced by Azorean communities abroad.
The panel “Azores and Diaspora – Social and Cultural Ties” will take place at 3 pm. Led by the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estevão, it will feature presentations by Margaret C. Campbell, consul of the United States of America in the Azores, Francisco Martins, vice-rector of the University of the Azores, and Alexandre Gaudêncio, president of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, followed by a debate.
The “Workshop with the Association of Azorean Emigrants,” focused on exploring possible forms of cooperation for displaced councillors from the Azorean diaspora, is scheduled for 6 pm and will be led by the Regional Director for the Communities, José Andrade.
On the second day, May 8, the programme starts at 10 am with the second panel under the title “Azores and Diaspora – Realities and Potentialities.” This session will include speeches by Gualter Furtado, president of the Economic and Social Council of the Azores, Mário Fortuna, representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores, and Jorge Rita, president of the Azores Agricultural Federation, followed by a debate.
At 3 pm, the third and final panel of the meeting, under the title “Azores and Diaspora – A Transatlantic Bridge,” will be presented by Rui Goulart, director of RTP/Azores, Rosa Costa, president of VisitAzores, and José Roque, member of the board of directors of Azores Airlines.
On this day, both panels will be led by the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, followed by a technical workshop organised by the Regional Directorate for the Communities on the “Azoreans in the World” platform at 6 pm.
The Azorean Diaspora Council meets regularly every two years under the presidency of the President of the Government. It is made up of 35 members, including 19 councillors selected by the Azorean diaspora, through the constituencies of Bermuda (one), Brazil (five), Canada (five), the United States of America (five), Uruguay (one), Mainland Portugal and Madeira (one) and the rest of the world (one), for four-year terms.
The Council also comprises the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, three representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, a representative of the World Council of Houses of the Azores and the regional directors whose responsibilities fall within the areas of emigration and communities, social solidarity, vocational training and employment, culture, tourism and incentives.
Furthermore, the CDA includes a representative of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, a representative of emigrant associations active in the Region, a representative of the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities, and a representative of the Council of the Portuguese Communities.
