Luanda – The 5th meeting of the Portuguese Speaking Community (CPLP) Higher Education, Sciences and Technology ministers Tuesday in Luanda decided to focus on areas of common interest in terms of multilateral cooperation.

According to a final declaration from the event that gathered CPLP ministers and their representatives for two days, the said areas of common interest are those of education, science policies, technology and innovation, science indicators, evaluation and accreditation of
institutions.

Higher education courses and recognition of diplomas, climate changes and earth observation, agriculture and food security, biological sciences and health are other areas of common interest.

 
The declaration states that the sea sciences, renewable energies and energetic efficacy, social and human sciences, scientific divulging, free access to scientific knowledge are also to take a special attention.

On the other hand, the experts recommended that the CPLP Executive Secretariat (SECPLP) should draft an annual agenda that includes the main actions to be undertaken by the member states in the domains of science, technology and higher education.

 
They also recommended the creation of a committee to draft a model enabling the effective participation of the member states in the actions to be undertaken by the Excellence Centre for Level II Basic Sciences for advanced training of CPLP scientists recently established in Lisbon under the auspices of UNESCO.

 
According to the declaration, the experts decided to assist Angola with creating a Level II Excellence Centre for Geo-sciences applied to Africa’s sustainability under the aegis of UNESCO for the training of Sub-Saharan Africa and directed the SECPLP to revive the
contacts with international institutions like UNESCO, WIPO, EU and ACP Countries, with a view to guaranteeing cooperation.