On the 20th of July, during the IX Conference of Heads of State and Government (CCEG) of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), held in Maputo, the assembled leaders adopted the "Declaration on CPLP and the Challenges of Food Security and Nutrition ".
The CCEG is a biennial event that brings together high-level delegations from all countries of the CPLP and this year the theme was "The CPLP and the Challenges of Food Security." The IX CCEG, was attended by the Presidents of Portugal, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe and East Timor and the Vice-Presidents of Brazil and Angola. Apart from members of the CPLP, the plenary session featured speeches by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and FAO’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva.
The document that was approved is expected to give a decisive contribution to the establishment and implementation of the CPLP’s common Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition (ESAN-CPLP).
In the days leading up to the IX CCEG, a parallel event was held with the participation of networks of civil society organizations working to promote food security and of CPLP’s REDSAN. This event resulted in a Civil Society Declaration on the Human Right to Adequate Food which takes 18 major commitments to food security within the CPLP. Oikos participated in this event directly through its representative in Mozambique and indirectly through REALIMENTAR (Portuguese Network for Food Sovereignty and Security).