Ramos-Horta Urges CPLP Reform: Focus on Education & Culture
As the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) celebrates its 30th anniversary, Timor-Leste’s President José Ramos-Horta is calling for a radical shift in the organization’s focus. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate argues that the Lusophone bloc should stop trying to mimic regional unions like the EU and instead return to its roots: culture, education, and youth mobility.
In an interview with Lusa, Ramos-Horta urged member states to be “realistic” about what the organization can achieve given its unique, cross-continental geographic sprawl. Unlike the European Union or the African Union, the CPLP spans four continents, making constant high-level diplomatic coordination a logistical nightmare.
Trimming the Bureaucracy
Ramos-Horta was blunt in his critique of the organization’s current structure, which he believes has become bogged down by unnecessary ministerial agendas. Over the years, he argued, founders and architects tried to “invent” a regional organization that doesn’t align with the CPLP’s true nature.
“If distance is an obstacle for heads of state and foreign ministers to travel, don’t invent meetings for health ministers, attorneys general, or even police commissioners,” the President quipped. “All that’s missing is for them to invent a meeting for traffic police chiefs.”
Instead of spreading resources thin across endless summits for various government portfolios, Ramos-Horta recommends concentrating scarce financial and human resources on initiatives that bridge the distance between people, rather than just politicians.
A Vision for the Next Decade
The Timorese leader wants the CPLP to prioritize “soft power” and human connection. His vision includes:
- Educational Mobility: Facilitating internships, study trips, and “working holidays” for students across the Lusophone world.
- Cultural Promotion: Funding and promoting music, dance, and entertainment that celebrates the shared Portuguese language.
- Youth Investment: Using state subsidies to support youth exchange programs that allow the next generation to experience the diverse cultures within the bloc.
Thirty Years of Achievement
Despite his calls for reform, Ramos-Horta acknowledged that the organization’s survival is a milestone in itself. “An organization reaching 30 years is already a success and an achievement,” he noted.
The CPLP was founded in Lisbon on July 17, 1996, by Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Timor-Leste joined in 2002 after restoring its independence, followed by Equatorial Guinea in 2014. Timor-Leste currently holds the rotating presidency of the organization, having stepped in last December following political instability in Guinea-Bissau.
Image: Pexels – GILBERTO SOARES DOS SANTOS
