Development Cooperation Network

The First Intermunicipal Assembly of 2023 met yesterday, March 23rd, at the Matosinhos City Hall

The ICERD - Intermunicipal Network for Cooperation for Development met today at the Matosinhos City Hall for the 1st Intermunicipal Assembly of 2023.

At the welcome session, the Councillor for the Environment of the Municipality of Matosinhos and Vice-President of the Executive Board of the ICERD, Manuela Álvares, recognized the importance of the network, highlighting the fact that for the first time Matosinhos is an integral part of this Executive Board. Manuela Álvares also recognized and praised the commitment of Matosinhos to the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). "The network and the interconnections that can trigger are the added value that we want to stimulate here and see enhanced, she said. We hope this will be a good and fruitful work session".

Present at the initiative were the president of the board of the Intermunicipal Assembly and mayor of Palmela, Álvaro Amaro, as well as other representatives of the executive council, the fiscal council, the inter-municipal assembly and the IMVF - Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr, namely the Municipalities of Oeiras, Grândola, Loures, Maia, Marinha Grande, Miranda do Corvo, Moita, Seixal and Vila Nova de Poiares.

This was followed by the showing of a retrospective video of the 10 years of RICD and the presentation of the People & Planet project by IMVF.

The action also included the presentation of a document by Palmela municipality which served as the basis for a strategic analysis of the potentialities and constraints of the IDCR's action.

Before the 1st Intermunicipal Assembly of the year, there was still time to debate ideas and some reflections by the various municipalities present.

The Mayor of Matosinhos, Luísa Salgueiro, associated herself with the initiative and made a point of addressing a few words to those present at the work session highlighting the importance of the work already developed.

Luisa Salgueiro highlighted the most recent focus of this working group, the ODS - Sustainable Development Goals. "With different rhythms and stages of work, it is essential to share experiences between municipalities, she stressed. The work session ended with the Intermunicipal Assembly with the consideration and vote on the minutes of the previous Assembly, consideration and approval of the 2022 activities report, discussion of the future prospects of the ICNDN, and other matters of interest to the association.

It should be noted that the Intermunicipal Development Cooperation Network (ICNDN), formally created on March 15, 2013, is made up of 22 Portuguese municipalities committed to carrying out more structured and effective work in the fight against poverty as part of their Development Cooperation actions with similar entities in Portuguese-speaking countries. The following municipalities are constituent members of the Network: Amadora, Cascais, Estarreja, Faro, Fundão, Grândola, Lagoa, Loures, Maia, Marinha Grande, Matosinhos, Miranda do Corvo, Moita, Odivelas, Oeiras, Ourém, Palmela, Penacova, Seixal, Setúbal, Torres Vedras and Vila Nova de Poiares. The Municipality of Matosinhos became a member of the IDCR on September 26, 2016.

The initiative, facilitated by Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr (IMVF) under the project Networks for Development: from twinning to a more efficient cooperation, co-financed by the European Union and Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P., has the institutional support of the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities.