The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Acting President of the Council of Ministers of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP – acronym in Portuguese), Bendito dos Santos Freitas, opened the 51st Meeting of the CPLP Cooperation Focal Points, held on March 12th and 13th, 2026, at the organisation’s headquarters in Lisbon, as part of Timor-Leste’s pro tempore presidency of the CPLP for the 2026–2027 term. 
Maria de Fátima Jardim, Executive Secretary of the CPLP, along with representatives of the member states and the focal points responsible for coordinating cooperation within the organisation, attended the opening session.
In his remarks, Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas underlined the role of cooperation as “one of the most dynamic pillars” of the CPLP, with “a real impact on the lives of (…) the people” of the organisation’s member states. He also emphasised the importance of multilateralism, dialogue, and strengthening cooperation among the countries of the Community, reaffirming Timor-Leste’s commitment to enhancing community cooperation.
Projects such as the Network of Public Higher Education Institutions (RIPES – acronym in Portuguese), established in 2012; the Network of Public Health Institutes under the Strategic Plan for Health Cooperation, which has been operating since 2009; the CPLP’s civil engineering laboratory training programme, launched in 2019; and the CPLP Audiovisual Programme, now in its third edition, were highlighted among the ongoing cooperation initiatives within the CPLP.
During the meeting, the cooperation focal points reviewed the progress of activities and programmes carried out over the past three decades. The conclusions from this process are expected to contribute to the development of the CPLP’s new Strategic Vision for the period 2027–2033.
The Minister also emphasised that this discussion on Community cooperation takes place as the CPLP celebrates its 30th anniversary. He further mentioned Timor-Leste’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in October 2025, noting that this new development creates opportunities to strengthen the CPLP’s links with Southeast Asia.
The meeting was chaired by Joaquim Fernandes, the National Director for the CPLP from Timor-Leste, and gathered representatives from member states responsible for coordinating cooperation within the Community.
Timor-Leste assumed the pro tempore presidency of the CPLP for the 2026–2027 term, following a decision adopted at an extraordinary conference of the organisation’s Heads of State and Government held in December 2025. The theme of Timor-Leste’s presidency is “Consolidating the Democratic Rule of Law and the Challenges Facing the CPLP.”