2017 was the year in which IPDAL changed its image, name and expanded to the Caribbean. We became known as the Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean, working with 33 countries in the region.

We managed to increase the number of activities carried out, prepare our own studies and content, organize unprecedented initiatives – inside and outside Portugal, attract new partners, innovate in the topics discussed, create new formats and models of affirmation for our sponsors, expand the network of allies international and we were also able to bring new and relevant public and private actors, Portuguese and foreign, into our discussions.

We fostered business by holding business forums, we helped our partners find solutions to their different challenges, we continued to place Latin America on Portugal’s political and media agenda, we decentralized our activity by investing in initiatives outside of Lisbon, we supported more initiatives cultural, we held more conferences at Universities, we organized and participated in the most decisive debates on a global scale about Latin America, both in Portugal and in the United States, France, the United Kingdom or the Czech Republic and we also promoted Latin America in China, Belgium and in Morocco.

After solidifying our commitment to CPLP, with IPDAL acquiring the status of Consultative Observer in 2016, this was the year in which we changed our name to Institute for the Promotion of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as our image, and in which we further increased our ambition: we grew to the Caribbean, starting to work with 13 more states, many of which still do not even have diplomatic representation in Portugal.

The Institute thus becomes the only and main Portuguese civil society organization dedicated to dialogue with the entire Latin America and Caribbean region, focusing on a relationship between equals, with respect for both sovereignty and the specific characteristics of each country. We will always work to establish balanced bridges, in which all parties emerge winners, whether through interinstitutional dialogue, trade and investment, cultural activities, development cooperation projects, strengthening communities, promoting democracy and human rights, gender equality, justice, peace and even greater knowledge between both sides of the Atlantic.

We are aware that the responsibility and expectations that fall on our shoulders continue to grow. And this is also why IPDAL differentiates itself and stands out. We feel the weight of the commitments we have made and we work daily to honor the trust of our partners, be they the Embassies, our sponsoring and partner companies, the Portuguese State and its various bodies or even the international organizations with which we work. What we share with everyone is the conviction that IPDAL is, increasingly, the main platform for promoting Latin America in Portugal. Dear Friends,

For all of this, it is with the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled and with the awareness that our objectives for this year were fully achieved, that we thank everyone for their support and enthusiasm.

It remains for us to wish, with deep sincerity, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, full of joy in your personal lives and success in the institutions and companies you represent. A friendly hug,

Paulo Neves President