Timor-Leste Participates in the XV Conference of Heads of State and Government of the CPLP with Focus on Food Sovereingnty and Sustainable Development
Timor-Leste participated in the XXX Ordinary Meeting of the Council Ministers of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) and the Conference of Heads of State and of Government of the CPLP, held on Jully 17th and 18th, respectively, in Bissau, under the slogan “the CPLP and Food Sovereignty: A Path to Sustainable Development.” The Timorese delegation was led by the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, and included the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, who officially represented the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. 
At the Ordinary meeting of the CPLP Council of Ministers, Tomás do Rosário Cabral reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s commitment to strengthening food and nutrition security in the Lusophone Space. “Timor-Leste recognizes that the human right to adequate and healthy food is an ongoing process and is aware of the challenges that its implementation implies for the eradication of hunger,” he said, stressing the revision of the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy, aligned with the CPLP Food and Nutrition Security Strategy (ESAN-CPLP). .He also highlighted the creation of Municipal Food Security Commission and the approval of the National Multisectoral Nutrition Action Plan to Combat Dwarfism 2024-2030 as strategic measures to improve child nutrition and guarantee food security in the country. 
He also highlighted Timor-Leste’s membership of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and School Feeding Coalition, which he called “ a platform for global cooperation to promote adequate, balanced and healthy food in schools, through the mobilization of sustainable resources.” He added that “Timor-Leste shares the understanding that people and sovereign states have the right to determine their agricultural and food policies in a democratic and inclusive manner,” reinforcing the IX Constitutional Government’s commitment to sustainable development and to strengthening international partnerships within the CPLP and ASEAN. 
Tomás do Rosário Cabral also took the opportunity to “challenge the CPLP to deepen cooperation with ASEAN, Timor-Leste natural regional integration area, where we hope to become a full member very soon. 
The summit, which marked the 29th anniversary of the CPLP, was marked by the approval of the Bissau Declaration, in which the Heads of State and Government reaffirmed the priority of food and nutrition sovereignty as an essential element for social justice and planetary sustainability.
As part of the official visit, the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, received the Amílcar Cabral Medal, Guinea-Bissau’s highest national decoration, awarded in recognition of this decisive role in the struggle for self-determination and independence for Timor-Leste, as well as his contribution to peace, democracy and solidarity between African and Lusophone peoples. 
The Summit ended with the election of the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, as President pro tempore of the CPLP for the 2025-2027 biennium, and with public recognition of the outgoing Executive Secretary, Zacarias Albano da Costa, for “the work done in strengthening the Executive Secretariat, improving its functioning and its response capacity,” as well as for “the work done in the various sectors of cooperation, with civil society and with international partners.” 
The Minister of State Administration concluded his speech with good wishes for the work of the Conference, saying: “We wish you a fruitful work session and express our sincere wishes for an auspicious mandate for the current Presidency of the CPLP Council of Ministers.” END
