The agreement was formalized today in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, during the International Meeting of Social Service Organizations of the Azores and the Diaspora. This event was promoted by the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM).
The protocol, involving the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary and Community Affairs and approximately twenty institutions, highlights the growing impact of globalization on society, defined by international instability and increasingly intense migratory flows. This scenario necessitates ongoing cooperation between governmental bodies and civil society institutions.
The Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate for Communities, has established partnerships with various institutions located within Azorean communities settled in North America, specifically in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda.
Moreover, the Regional Directorate for Communities is part of the Sociocultural Support Network for Human Mobility. This network focuses on social action to assist the integration processes of Azoreans in the diaspora and those who choose to return to the region.
The document notes that the institutions partnered with the Regional Directorate for Communities often face challenges related to technical, human, logistical, or other resources. These constraints can hinder their ability to provide a swift and efficient response to issues affecting the Azorean migrant population.
The involved entities believe it is crucial to foster and develop a network-based collaboration to maximize the resources available in each institution. The goal is to create a coordinated and concerted response to the challenges presented.
The newly established partnership aims to promote a range of sociocultural support responses. This will involve cooperation between regional, national, and international entities to facilitate the effective integration of emigrated and returning Azoreans and position the International Network of Community Social Service Organizations as a supportive structure advancing active social policies concerning emigrants and returnees.
Other objectives include optimizing resources and strategies to avoid inefficient duplication of efforts, improving structured and coordinated responses, and facilitating the execution of studies and assessments for a deeper understanding of the realities faced. These efforts will ensure the ongoing relevance of the intervention by various stakeholders.
The new network focuses its efforts on emigrants and returnees experiencing vulnerability and/or social exclusion, those at risk of repatriation or deportation, children and youth facing social exclusion, those neglected or facing learning challenges or adoption, and crime victims.
This protocol supersedes the agreement signed on November 10, 2011, and will remain in effect until December 31, 2025. It will be automatically renewed each year thereafter.
The Regional Directorate for Communities serves as the promoter and coordinator for the International Network of Social Service Organizations of the Azores and the Diaspora.
Read more:
