<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, will host the 4th International Conference on the Portuguese and Spanish Languages (CILPE) on November 11 and 12. The conference, under the theme "Multilingualism, Interculturality, Citizenship," is sponsored by the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science, and Culture (OEI).</strong></h4> This year, the initiative will have the institutional support of the Government of Cape Verde, in partnership with the University of Cape Verde and the International Institute of the Portuguese Language (IILP) of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). Authorities and specialists from important institutions such as the Camões Institute of Cooperation and Language of Portugal, the Cervantes Institute of Spain, and the Guimarães Rosa Institute of Brazil, among others, will participate. The official launch took place this past Tuesday, September 23rd, at the University of Cape Verde, with the participation of Ana Paula Laborinho, Director General of Multilingualism at the OEI, and José Arlindo Fernandes Barreto, Rector of the University of Cape Verde. Also present were Joao Neves, Director of the International Institute of the Portuguese Language, and Martín Lorenzo, Director General of the Office of the Secretary General of the OEI. This edition, being held for the first time in an African country, will bring together various stakeholders, including specialists and authorities in the field, to reaffirm the role of languages in the integration of Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as their positioning in the global context, with Africa as a key axis. After the editions in Lisbon (2019), Brasilia (2022), and Asunción (2023), CILPE now has more than 10,000 participants, including attendees and participants from around the world. and is consolidating its position as one of the most important forums for the entire Spanish and Portuguese-speaking community, which currently totals nearly 850 million speakers with a presence on five continents. Under the motto "We make cooperation happen," the OEI has been the first intergovernmental organization for South-South cooperation in Ibero-America since 1949. It currently has 23 member states and 19 national offices, in addition to the General Secretariat in Madrid. In 2024, it received the prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation "for its fruitful work in promoting multilateralism and for representing an important bridge in relations between Europe and Ibero-America." With more than 600 projects and 300 active cooperation agreements per year on average, the OEI represents one of the largest cooperation networks in Ibero-America. Among its results, the organization has contributed to the drastic reduction of illiteracy in Latin America, with an average of 11 million direct beneficiaries in the last five years.
