Azorean Diaspora Council holds its third plenary meeting in Ponta Delgada - Communication

Secretaria Regional dos Assuntos Parlamentares e Comunidades

The Azorean Diaspora Council (CDA) will hold a plenary session on May 26 at the Conceição Palace in Ponta Delgada, an initiative organised by the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, through the Regional Directorate for the Communities.

This advisory body to the Government of the Azores was established in 2019 and elected in 2021, aiming to ensure the participation, collaboration and consultation of representatives from the Azorean communities scattered across the globe.

The session begins at 10 a.m. with a speech by the President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, marking the beginning of the third plenary meeting of the Azorean Diaspora Council.

It will be following are the speeches by the elected representatives of the Azorean diaspora: Richard Ambrósio (Bermuda), Régis Marques Gomes (Rio Grande do Sul), Marcos Pinheiro (Santa Catarina), António Arruda (São Paulo), Vânia Silva (Other Brazilian States), Paulo Jorge Cabral (Manitoba), Matthew Correia (Ontario), Carlos Boiteux de Almeida (Other Canadian Provinces), Zeto Carvalho (California), Daniel de Melo (Massachusetts), David Pimentel (Other U.S. States), Katherine Soares (Other U.S. States), Rui Medeiros Silva (Mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of Madeira) and Tiago Domingues (Rest of the World).

The first panel, “Economic relations with the Azorean diaspora,” will take place at 3 p.m., featuring contributions from the Regional Secretary for Finance, Planning and Public Administration, Duarte Freitas, and the Regional Secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures, Berta Cabral.

The second panel, “Cultural relations with the Azorean diaspora,” will take place at 4 p.m., with the participation of the Regional Secretary for Education, Culture and Sport, Sofia Ribeiro, and the President of the Association of Azorean Emigrants, Andrea Moniz-DeSouza.

The final panel discussion, “The new generations of the Azorean diaspora,” will take place at 4 p.m. It will be attended by the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, Maria João Carreiro, and the Vice-Consul of the United States of America in the Azores, Christopher Gosselin.

The operational deliberations will take place at 6 p.m., with the establishment of the territorial committees for Brazil and Uruguay, the United States of America, Canada and the Rest of the World, as well as the sectoral committees in the areas of Politics, Economy, Society and Culture.

The session will close at 7 p.m. with a speech delivered by the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, Paulo Estêvão. The day will end with a visit to the Azores Autonomy Centre at the Conceição Palace.

As part of the programme celebrating 50 years of Autonomy in the Azores, the members of the council will attend the concert by the Azores Military Band at the Coliseu Micaelense on May 24. The following day, May 25, they will take part in the Formal Celebration Session marking the Day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores at the Teatro Micaelense.

On May 27, the members of the Azorean Diaspora Council will travel to the islands of Terceira and Faial for a series of institutional and cultural visits. A visit to the city of Angra do Heroísmo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is scheduled for the island of Terceira, as well as a visit to the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores on the island of Faial.

The 17 members of the Azorean Diaspora Council took office on the Day of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, June 9, 2025, at a virtual ceremony presided over by the President of the Azorean Government, for the 2025–2029 term.

The Azorean Diaspora Council meets regularly every two years, under the presidency of the President of the Government. It comprises 35 members, including representatives chosen by the Azorean diaspora itself, for four-year terms.

The Council also comprises the Regional Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, three representatives of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, a representative of the World Council of the Houses of the Azores, and the regional directors responsible for the areas of emigration and communities, social solidarity, vocational training and employment, culture, tourism and incentives.

The Azorean Diaspora Council also includes a representative from the Association of Municipalities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, a representative from emigrant associations active in the Region, a representative from the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs and the Portuguese Communities, and a representative from the Council of Portuguese Communities.