As part of the celebrations of its 40th anniversary, FLAD organizes, in partnership with the Government of the Azores, on June 25, 26 and 27, in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, Azores, an international meeting of twinned cities and municipalities between Portugal and the USA. This initiative has the High Patronage of His Excellency the President of the Republic.

The Sister Cities Summit, part of the celebrations of FLAD’s 40th anniversary, will bring together in Ponta Delgada, Azores, for three days, representatives of Portuguese and American municipalities with twinning agreements between them, as well as members of civil society on both sides of the Atlantic who work within the framework of bilateral cooperation to work together on building networks and identifying opportunities for collaboration, promoting local development.

With this initiative, FLAD and the Government of the Azores join forces to promote transatlantic cooperation, focusing on places where the Portuguese and Portuguese-descendant presence is most significant. The objective is to contribute to the creation and strengthening of networks between different cities in different dimensions (culture, society, economy, education and science, among others), to revive or boost existing twinning agreements and to discuss together the challenges that our cities face.

There are currently around 60 twinning agreements between the two countries. In the United States, there are about 40 cities involved, whose location tells the story of the movement of Portuguese immigrants who settled there in previous centuries.

This event will be attended by more than 30 cities and municipalities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Admission is free, upon registration here.

PROGRAM

June 25 | Teatro Micaelense

2:30 p.m.

Opening of the exhibition “Entre a Pomba e a Águia – As festas do Espírito Santo na Nova Inglaterra” at the Carlos Machado Museum

3:00pm

Opening session

  • Nuno Morais Sarmento, President of FLAD
  • José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Government of the Azores

4:00 p.m.

Inaugural Conference: “Water and the Future of Cities”

  • António Carmona Rodrigues, Former Mayor of Lisbon and Former Minister of Public Works | Current Chairman of the Board of Directors of AdP – Águas de Portugal

5:30 p.m.

Diplomatic panel

  • Francisco Duarte Lopes, Ambassador of Portugal to the United States of America
  • Douglas A. Koneff, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of the United States of America in Portugal

Moderator: Miguel Monjardino, Professor at Instituto de Estudos Políticos of Universidade Católica Portuguesa

7:30 pm

Moment of tribute to the 230th anniversary of the Consulate of the United States of America in the Azores

 

June 26 | Teatro Micaelense

9:30 am

Cooperation Panel: Economy

  • Introduction by Piedade Lalanda, President of the Economic and Social Council of the Azores
  • Panel debate between participating cities

Moderator: Rui Marques, Coordinator of the Relational Lab

11:15 a.m.

Cooperation Panel: Education, Science and Technology

  • Introduction by Gui Menezes, Director of OKEANOS – Institute for Research in Marine Sciences of the University of the Azores
  • Panel debate between participating cities

Moderator: Rui Marques, Coordinator of the Relational Lab

3:00pm

Cooperation Panel: Society and Culture

  • Introduction by Diniz Borges, Director of the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute at California State University
  • Panel debate between participating cities

Moderator: Rui Marques, Coordinator of the Relational Lab

5:30 p.m.

Conference “Artificial Intelligence”

  • Daniela Braga, CEO of Defined.ai – Presentation of the lecturer by Katherine Soares, President of PALCUS – The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States

21h30

Sister Cities Concert with FADOalado and Ponta Delgada Light Orchestra at the Teatro Micaelense Auditorium (open to the general public, upon collection of invitation at the Theater’s box office)

 

June 27 | Aula Magna of the University of the Azores

17:00

Final Conference

  • José Manuel Barroso, Former Prime Minister of Portugal and Former President of the European Commission

18:00

Closing session

  • Nuno Morais Sarmento, President of FLAD
  • José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Government of the Azores
  • Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic