Government of the Azores promotes effective integration of immigrants in the archipelago
The Regional Director for Communities stated in Ponta Delgada that the Regional Government has developed and will continue to develop a series of comprehensive actions that will contribute to the "successful integration" of all those who have chosen the islands "as an ideal space to fulfil their professional and family goals. "
Paulo Teves spoke on behalf of the Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Affairs, Rui Bettencourt, at the seminar "The danger of legitimising xenophobic discourse." In this regard, he announced that the Government will organise more Portuguese language courses for foreign residents in the Azores, considering that this is "a key factor for their social and professional integration."
In his speech delivered at the seminar, held under the International Fight Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Regional Director also revealed the development of activities to promote interculturalism and the continuation of partnerships with associations that work with immigrants on a daily basis, "not only through financial support but also through the sharing of services and tools."
"We can never ignore that cultural diversity is part of our daily lives," he said, adding that "this diversity is of dual relevance" in the Azores.
In this regard, he highlighted the 4,000 immigrants from 80 countries who are living in the archipelago as well as the "significant Azorean Diaspora that benefits from new cultural practices and traditions" in the host societies.
For Paulo Teves, this "constant cultural dynamics," together with the geographic position of the Azores and the fact that the archipelago has been historically "a point of departures and arrivals," is "a determining factor for the adoption of good inclusive practices and effective tools for the promotion of interculturalism" in the Azores.
Regarding the date marked today with an initiative promoted by AIPA - Azores Immigrant Association, Paulo Teves reiterated that "it is important to bear in mind that differences value and enrich societies and that interculturalism is crucial to bring peoples and cultures together."
"What really matters is how we, in our individual and collective actions, give shape to what is embodied in the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 'all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,'" said the government official.
In the context of the celebrations of the International Fight Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the João José da Graça Public Library and Regional Archive in Horta hosts today an initiative that includes the presentation of a documentary featuring immigrant testimonies and the performance of a Cape Verdean immigrant residing on Faial, starting at 9 PM.