Lula wants sustainability with a social, economic and environmental perspective

In the last stage of his trip to Africa, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva participated, this Sunday (27), in the 14th Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), in São Tomé, capital of Sao Tome and Principe. Lula spoke about the challenges facing young people in the face of the climate crisis — the theme of the event — and the transformations in the job market and argued that sustainability must consider the social, economic and environmental dimensions. Furthermore, two bilateral agreements were signed.

“It is very timely to return to São Tomé and Príncipe to discuss an issue that unites us. Talking about youth and sustainability, the theme of this 14th CPLP Summit, is talking about the future. When I was young, my generation’s dilemmas seemed simpler. The new generations live with the uncertainties of a job market that is changing, with unemployment and precariousness reaching new levels. It is important to turn to the youth themselves to understand this new reality”, said Lula during the event.

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Lula also highlighted that “CPLP young people were already warning us that climate change would put the future of the planet at risk. For them to have hope for a better future, sustainability must be promoted, from now on, in its three dimensions: social, economic and environmental. Without adequate nutrition there is no prospect of a dignified life.”

The president also pointed out that, in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, “we can be proud of our joint work in promoting food and nutritional security, education and exchange between our countries. But training our youth is not enough. With changes in the world of work, we face the challenge of boosting our economies by guaranteeing decent work, fair wages and protection for workers”.

Agreements signed

As for the agreements signed during the trip, one concerns cooperation and investment facilitation between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. The other is a memorandum of understanding between the Rio Branco Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cooperation and communities of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe.

The Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries is made up of Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the Asian East Timor. Portuguese is the eighth most spoken language in the world, with more than 263 million people, according to Ethnologue.

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Officially created in 1996, the CPLP seeks and integrates these people. Since then, 13 conferences of heads of state and government have been held, the last being in 2021. This year’s edition will transmit the presidency of the CPLP from Angola to São Tomé and Príncipe, which takes over the Community in the 2023-2025 biennium with the theme Youth and Sustainability.

According to Ambassador Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte, Secretary of Africa and the Middle East of Brazil, the community “is a space for discussion between Portuguese-speaking countries and an interesting forum, as there is often mutual support in candidacy of these countries for international forums”.

President Lula and the Brazilian delegation will embark back to Brazil this Sunday afternoon.

With agencies