Paulina Quintao – The Timor-Leste government has established a secretariat for youth from the Community of Portuguese Language-Speaking Countries (CPLP), with the aim of strengthening the friendship between member countries.
Timor-Leste government has established a secretariat for youth from the Community of CPLP, with the aim of strengthening the friendship between member countries.
The secretariat will advocate for youth issues in member countries and around the world, as well as giving young people an opportunity to learn and develop themselves through discussions with CPLP's youth network.
President of the National Youth Council (CNJTL) Maria Dadi S. Magno said the main role of the CPLP youths was to do advocacy work to respond to the problems identified during the annual CPLP youth forum last year.
During the youth forum, member countries established the Dili Declaration, which consisted of four important issues: Portuguese-language training, unemployment, gender inequality and education.
"We have established this secretariat with the function to coordinate with other member countries to realize our dream, especially for youth development," Magno said at the launching ceremony in Farol, Dili.
Although some member countries have yet to establish a youth secretariat, including Sao Tome and Principe, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde and Mozambique, he said as Timor-Leste initiated the plan they must start even with a small team.
He said the secretariat consists of youth representatives from the resistance movement, those living with disabilities and rural and LGBT communities.
Timor-Leste was among the South East Asian countries that took a part in the CPLP organization in 2012 and in 2014 Timor-Leste hosted a meeting of the heads of states of member countries, assuming responsibility for the presidency for a two-year term from 2014 to 2016.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State for Youth and Sport (SEJD) Leovigildo da Costa Hornai said the government was optimistic that the secretariat would work efficiently, especially in advocating for the problems faced by young people in rural areas nationally and around the world.
"We hope that they can talk based on the reality in Timor, especially doing advocacy about the problems that young people face," he said.
As the roles are unpaid, he therefore called on representatives to continue to work with a voluntary spirit, adding it was important to help each other, especially other youths who are facing problems in their lives.