CPLP Needs ‘Galvanizing Project’ to Impact Citizens
As the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) celebrates its 30th anniversary, its former executive secretary, Maria do Carmo Silveira, is calling for a radical shift in how the organization operates. Silveira argues that the group must move beyond political rhetoric and embrace a “galvanizing project” that delivers tangible benefits to its citizens.
Silveira, who served as Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe and led the CPLP executive secretariat from 2016 to 2018, acknowledged the organization’s milestones. Over three decades, the CPLP has earned international visibility, attracted global partners, and made significant strides in inter-community mobility. However, she warned that for many of the millions of people living in member states, the impact remains invisible.
Moving Beyond a ‘Project of Governments’
“The CPLP continues to be a project of governments,” Silveira stated. “It is necessary to have projects that have a direct impact on people’s lives, and those projects have not yet been identified.”
She emphasized the need for a visionary initiative capable of mobilizing the youth and populations across the nine member states—Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste. Without such a pillar, she argued, the organization risks being defined by its “political inaction.”
The Struggle for Binding Authority
One of the primary hurdles facing the CPLP is its lack of “teeth” when it comes to enforcing decisions. Silveira highlighted that the organization currently lacks binding mechanisms, which limits its ability to transform high-level political agreements into concrete actions.
She specifically pointed to the ongoing political instability in Guinea-Bissau as a case where the CPLP’s influence is hampered by a lack of instruments to make its decisions mandatory. To remedy this, she called for the creation of robust conflict prevention mechanisms and enhanced monitoring of democratic health within member states.
Economic Cooperation: The New Frontier
While the Portuguese language and shared culture remain the bedrock of the community, Silveira reinforced the 2016 strategic shift toward economic and business cooperation. She noted that language alone is no longer enough to “galvanize a common future.”
“There is enormous potential,” Silveira said, pointing to the fact that member states are spread across four continents. This unique geographic footprint offers “extraordinary potential for economic cooperation and development” that has yet to be fully exploited.
As the CPLP enters its fourth decade, Silveira’s message is clear: to remain relevant, the organization must transition from a diplomatic forum into a community that actively builds prosperity and safeguards democracy for all its people.
Image: Pexels – Nadejda Bostanova
