The 9th meeting of Communication Ministers from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) was held last 19 August in Maputo, Mozambique.
As the government’s advisor on such matters, ANACOM was represented by board member João Confraria and by Carla Silveira from the external relations department. They accompanied the representative of the state secretary for infrastructures, Miguel Brito e Abreu, political counsellor of the Portuguese embassy in Maputo.
The meeting was opened by the representative of the governor of the city of Maputo, the director of the Telecommunications Development Bureau, the vice-minister of public works, transport and communications of Timor-Leste (East Timor), which holds the CPLP presidency, the CPLP executive secretary and the host minister. The importance of holding such meetings to work out common electronic communications strategies at CPLP level was highlighted.
The permanent secretariat reported on conclusions of the technical meetings. This was followed by policy discussions with speeches by ministers from the CPLP countries, except Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), which was not represented.
The situation of digital aspects in the CPLP scope was presented, followed by a general discussion and determination of respective promotion strategies.
The participants assumed the commitment of drawing up a digital agenda for the CPLP. The process is to be coordinated by the Association of CPLP Communications and Telecommunications Regulators (ARCTEL-CPLP), supporting projects already under way or which fall within the guidelines.
ARCTEL-CPLP will therefore conduct a study with a view to establishing a digital agenda for the CPLP, with guidelines for promotion of the following:
- broadband networks and infrastructures and widespread use of information and communication technologies;
- knowledge and research;
- information society and digital inclusion;
- electronic governance;
- electronic commerce in the CPLP market;
- electronic communications security;
- entrepreneurship, employment and competitiveness;
- communications within the CPLP space;
- creation of mechanisms to finance initiatives within the CPLP space;
- sustainable development.
The aforementioned study, which should preferably have support from international sector organisations, should be based on the following structure:
I. sector trends;
II. specific potentials of member states and survey of individual strategies;
III. macro-analysis on economic growth, social and territorial cohesion and good governance, among others;
IV. definition of common projects aligned with the individual strategies of each member;
V. identification and determination of each member’s implementation processes with targets, goals, strategies and calendars.
The internal rules for the CPLP Communication Ministers’ meeting were also approved, with a view to establishing organisational and decision-making procedures for such gatherings and also to regulate how the permanent secretariat that supports them is to function.
After reading it, the ministers also approved a joint statement, the Maputo Declaration, in which they acknowledge the need to determine a CPLP-level strategy for the sector that can further development of individual markets in each of its members and of the CPLP market as a whole.
ARCTEL-CPLP was also designated as permanent secretariat for the ministers’ meeting and will henceforth accompany implementation of its decisions and prepare for upcoming meetings.
Equatorial Guinea indicated its intention to join ARCTEL-CPLP and Timor-Leste submitted a formal letter applying for membership in the association.
The 10th meeting of Communication Ministers will be held in Equatorial Guinea in 2018.
Further information:
Agenda da reunião (PDF 293 Kb)
This information is copyrighted to Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP)
IX Reunião de Ministros das Comunicações da CPLP http://www.cplp.org/id-4447.aspx?Action=1&NewsId=4500&M=NewsV2&PID=10872
