The 14th Meeting of Ministers of Culture of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) was held on May 5th, 2026, at the Hotel Timor in Dili, under the theme “Safeguarding Cultural Heritage to Promote Identity and Citizenship in the CPLP.” The meeting brought together representatives of Member States to strengthen multilateral cultural cooperation and define joint priorities for the cultural sector in the Portuguese-speaking world.
The meeting took place during Timor-Leste’s current presidency of the CPLP and was chaired by the Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture, Nelyo Isaac Sarmento. Miguel Monteiro, Director-General of the CPLP, also attended the opening session on behalf of the organisation’s Executive Secretary, Ambassador Maria de Fátima Jardim.
During the meeting, the ministers approved the CPLP Multilateral Cultural Cooperation Action Plan for 2026–2028, which will guide cultural cooperation among member states over the next two years.
It was also decided to establish the “CPLP Literary Prize: The Art of Writing in Portuguese, New Voices,” aimed at emerging writers, to encourage, recognise, and promote new literary talent, and to foster cultural diversity and strengthen the CPLP’s literary landscape.
CPLP members also reiterated their interest in developing an Indicative Reading Plan for the organisation to promote books, reading, and access to information. To that end, a proposal was made to hold a working meeting among the education and culture sectors and the International Institute of the Portuguese Language (IILP) to define the action plan for developing it.
The meeting also reaffirmed the importance of preserving historical memory and fostering cultural cooperation to support a critical understanding of slavery, the slave trade, and their historical consequences, while respecting the national positions of Member States in the relevant multilateral forums.
Among the decisions adopted, the ministers expressed their support for the nominations of the “semba” dance from Angola and the “xibugo” dance from Mozambique for inclusion on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The CPLP Cultural Heritage Commission was also tasked with conducting an inventory of the tangible and intangible heritage of Portuguese-speaking countries and with developing a shared digital database. The cultural focal points were also tasked with establishing a CPLP Network of Film and Audiovisual Authorities.
In his closing remarks, Minister Nelyo Isaac Sarmento stated that “the decisions reached here demonstrate a clear political will to place culture, art, and heritage at the centre of our nations’ development policies.” The minister added that “the decisions made here will become a reality in our nations, strengthening the Portuguese-speaking identity and celebrating our shared citizenship.”
The 13th Technical Meeting of the CPLP Culture Focal Points, held on May 4th, preceded the ministerial meeting, and provided an opportunity to prepare the main topics and documents approved in Dili.