The First Global Economic Forum of CPLP

The I Global Economic Forum of the CPLP took place between February 25th and 27th, 2016, in Díli, East Timor, and was attended by over 600 participants and around 250 B2B meetings have been organized.

The First Global Economic Forum of CPLP arises from a decision by the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of CPLP, when the Presidency was assigned to Timor-Leste and aims to express the need to develop and integrate the business and economic area of the countries of the community and its ability to integrate into the global economy.

Under the theme ‘CPLP and Globalisation’ the forum will discuss the concept of “Timor-Leste as a platform for business cooperation between the CPLP and the Asia-Pacific” as a means to enhance Timor-Leste’s strategic framework within the context of CPLP’s multi-regional blocks, ASEAN, and the greater Asia-Pacific.

In his opening speech, the Prime Minister, Rui Maria de Araújo, stated that "The First CPLP Global Economic Forum is consequently a unique opportunity for businesspeople to get to know each other and to showcase their businesses, within a relationship favouring direct contact between companies and nurturing entrepreneurship".

Agriculture, agro industry and agro food, construction and public works, education, energy, manufacturing, health, information technologies, telecommunications, transport and tourism are, among others, some of the business sectors that attra in Díli.

This initiative materialises the determination to create partnerships between companies from the Lusophone Community.

The meeting is supported by the CPLP, the Business Confederation of the CPLP (Portuguese acronym CE-CPLP) and the Exporters Union of the CPLP (Portuguese acronym UE-CPLP) and aims to promote Timor-Leste as a "platform for development."

Apart from Timor-Leste, investors from several other countries from all over the world are also represented, such as Angola, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Spain, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.