Azorean Diaspora Council meets in Ponta Delgada on May 7th and 8th – Communication

Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities

The Council of the Azorean Diaspora (CDA) will meet in a plenary session on the 7th and 8th of May, at Palácio da Conceição, in Ponta Delgada, under the organization of the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for Communities .

This consultative body of the Government of the Azores was established in 2019 and electorally constituted in 2021, aiming to ensure the participation, collaboration and consultation of representatives of Azorean communities spread across the world.

On May 7th, at 10:00 am, the inaugural session “Counselors in the Diaspora” will take place, led by the President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro. During the morning, advisors from the Azorean diaspora 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 solving challenges facing Azorean communities abroad.

At 3:00 pm, the panel “Azores and Diaspora – Sociocultural Connections” will be held, directed by the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estevão, with presentation of communications 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, which will be followed by a debate.

The “Workshop with the Association of Azorean Emigrants” is scheduled for 6pm, focused on exploring possible forms of cooperation for displaced counselors from the Azorean diaspora, led by the Regional Director of Communities, José Andrade.

On the second day of work, May 8, the program begins at 10 am with the second panel, entitled “Azores and Diaspora – Realities and Potentialities”. This session features interventions 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 Agricultural Federation of the Azores, followed by a debate.

At 3 pm, the third and final panel of this meeting begins, called “Azores and Diaspora – A Transatlântica Bridge”, with presentation of communications by Rui Goulart, director of RTP/Açores, Rosa Costa, president of VisitAzores, and José Roque, administrator from Azores Airlines.

On this day, both panels are led by the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão, followed, at 6 pm, by a technical workshop promoted by the Regional Directorate for Communities on the “Azoreans in the World” platform.

The Council of the Azorean Diaspora meets ordinarily every two years, under the presidency of the President of the Government. It is made up of 35 members, including 19 advisors chosen by the Azorean diaspora itself, through the electoral constituencies of Bermuda (one), Brazil (five), Canada (five), United States of America (five), Uruguay (one), mainland Portuguese and Madeira (one) and the rest of the world (one), for four-year terms.

This Council also includes 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 Casas dos Açores and the regional directors with competences in the areas of emigration and communities, social solidarity, professional qualification and employment, culture, tourism and incentives.

The CDA also includes a representative of the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, a representative of emigrant associations with presence and activity in the Region, a representative of the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and Portuguese Communities and a representative of the Council of Portuguese Communities .