At a press conference, UCCLA Deputy Secretary-General Paula Leal da Silva emphasized the importance of June 28, the foundational date of the organization, which marks the beginning of a year of celebrations with an official ceremony in Lisbon.
The UCCLA is described as a “unique organization in the world” by bringing municipalities together “around the domain of a common language.”
Among the highlights of the celebration is the unveiling of a bust of the poet Luís de Camões, to be installed at the organization’s headquarters and “in all UCCLA member capital cities.”
“This year marks the 500th anniversary of the poet’s birth. We want UCCLA to commemorate this event because Luís de Camões, besides being a universal poet transcending Portugal’s borders, is also a poet of the PALOP [African Countries with Portuguese as an Official Language] and the CPLP [Community of Portuguese Language Countries],” she stated.
The 40th anniversary celebrations of UCCLA coincide with the 50th anniversaries of the independence of several Portuguese-speaking African countries. In this context, special collaboration with the city of Luanda is planned, where an international conference on current issues like sustainable cities and climate change will be organized, she added.
Besides the celebrations, UCCLA reaffirmed its commitment to development cooperation, presenting ongoing projects in Timor-Leste, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and São Tomé and Príncipe as examples of the institution’s concrete actions in urban reconstruction, professional training, education, and support for local administration.
As part of celebrating Lusophone diversity, a global conference on Portuguese language migrations will also be promoted.
“We are organizing a global conference (…) on the topic of Lusophone migrations in Portugal, focusing on migrants from Portuguese-speaking countries like Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde,” she added.
The conference aims “to conceptualize and present an academic perspective on the issue, unlike many political approaches,” she emphasized.
UCCLA is an intermunicipal association of international nature with a mission “to contribute to the development and well-being of its populations.” It includes 65 cities (full members, associates, and observers) spread across four continents and 24 supporting companies.
