Organisation

The Camões, I.P. bodies are:

Board of directors
Auditor
Advisory Council for the Portuguese Language and Culture
Inter-ministerial Commission for Co-operation

At the highest management level, Camões, I.P. has a board of directors and an auditor (supervisory body).

The board of directors has under its direct jurisdiction three organisational units: the Office of Evaluation and Audit, the Documentation and Communication Office and the Office of Cultural Programmes and Agreements.

At the middle management level, there are three organisational units: Co-operation, Language and Culture, and Planning and Management.

Board of Directors - President

The Board of Directors is composed of a president, a vice-president and two members, the President having the casting vote.

President of the Board

Ambassador João Ribeiro de Almeida

João Manuel Mendes Ribeiro de Almeida was born on December 1, 1962, in Lisbon. He holds a Law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. Approved in the admission competition for the position of Embassy Attaché in 1989; Embassy Attaché, at the State Department (1990); Assistant at the Office of the Secretary of State for Portuguese Communities Abroad of the 12nd Constitutional Government (1991-1992); Secretary of Embassy (1992); Observer for the European Union at the electoral process of the Republic of South Africa (1994); posted at the Embassy in Athens (1995); First Secretary of Embassy (1998); posted at the Embassy in Zagreb (1999); Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Timor-Leste (2001); Consul-General in Benguela (2003); at the Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the XVI Constitutional Government, as Diplomatic Advisor (2004-2005); in the organization of the Ibero-American Ministerial of Guimarães (2005); at the Office of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the 17th Constitutional Government, as Diplomatic Advisor ( 2005-2006); and as Chief of Staff of the same Cabinet (2006); Counsellor of Embassy (2006); at the Mission Structure for the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, as Director of Permanent Installations (2006); Head of the Department of Common Foreign and Security Policy, and European Correspondent, at the Directorate-General for Foreign Policy (2007); Consul-General in Barcelona (2011); Minister Plenipotentiary, Second Class (2012); Ambassador to Colombia (2013-2017); simultaneously non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador and to the Republic of Costa Rica; Minister Plenipotentiary, First Class (2015(; Ambassador to Argentina (2017-2020); simultaneously non-resident Ambassador to Paraguay.

President of the Board of Camões, I.P. since the October 1, 2020.

Board of Directors - Vice-President

Vice-President of the Board

Cristina Moniz

Cristina Moniz holds a Degree in Modern Languages and Literature from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon. She was admitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) via the admission competition initiated in 1994. Embassy Attaché at the MFA (1995); Third-Secretary of Embassy (1998). Posted at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (1999). Second-Secretary of Embassy (2000). Posted at the Portuguese Embassy to Namibia (2002). First-Secretary of Embassy (2003). Posted at the Embassy to South Africa (2004). Head of Division at the Department for International Economic Organizations of the Directorate-General for Technical and Economic Affairs (2008). Counsellor of Embassy (2010); Head of the Department for the Administration of Assets of the General-Department for Administration (2011). Head of the Department for Assets and Expedient, of the same General-Department (2012). Posted at the Embassy to Mozambique (2012). Posted at the Permanent Representation of Portugal to the European Union, in Brussels (2012).

Vice-President of the Board of Governors of Camões, I.P., since the August 12, 2020.

Member of the Board of Directors

Paula Pedro Loureiro

Member of the Board of Auditors since January 2018. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2001, with a career in public governance, specially focused in budget control, held the position Director for Planning and Budget Control from 2012 until January 2018. Born in Lisboa, holds a degree in Economics and post-graduation in European Studies and in International Relations.

Member of the Board

Master João Laurentino Costa Pinho Neves

He has an undergraduate degree in Modern Languages and Literature (Portuguese and English Studies) and a Master degree in Intercultural Relations. He started his teaching career in 1985. He was a Lecturer at the Instituto Camões in Nampula, Mozambique (from 1995 to 2000), and Head of the Coordinating Centres of Portuguese Language of the same Institute (from 2000 to 2002). He was Cultural Attaché of the Portuguese Embassy in Cape Verde and Director of the Portuguese Cultural Centre (from 2003 to 2012). He was Director of the IPOR - Instituto Português do Oriente, in Macau (from 2012 to 2018). He has been a Member of the Board of Directors of Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, by Order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, since 1 September 2018.

Secretariat

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Camões Head Office

Advisor to the Board

Maria Inês Castelo Branco

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Tel: (+351) 213 109 122

Advisory bodies

Inter-ministerial Commission for Co-operation

Mission

The Inter-ministerial Commission for Co-operation (CIC) is a sectorial body for government support in the area of development co-operarion policy, working together with Camões, I.P..

Duties

The CIC’s main responsibilities are to:

Provide support to the government in defining co-operative policies with developing countries;
Promote the specific planning of programmes and projects of public development aid;
Implement the activities of the various ministries regarding co-operation and public development aid, with a view to establishing concerted guidelines and strengthening the co-ordination and coherence of development policies;
Promote and co-ordinate the execution of publicly-driven co-operative programmes;
Promote the collation and sharing of information and statistical data among its members relating to the implementation of co-operation activity.

Advisory Council for the Portuguese Language and Culture

The Advisory Council is the official body for consultation, support and participation in the definition of the general performance of Camões, I.P., meeting at least once a year according to its internal regulations.

The Advisory Council consists of:

The President of Camões, I.P. who presides over its affairs, along with the vice president and board members;
A representative from each member of government responsible for the areas of foreign affairs, the economy, education, higher education, science and technology, culture, youth and the media;
The director-general of foreign policy, the director-general of European affairs , the director-general of consular affairs and Portuguese communities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
Five people of a recognised level of expertise in the fields of education, research, the arts and science;
By a representative of each of the teaching staff unions, incorporating the trade union confederations represented in the permanent commission for social dialogue.

Roles

The Advisory Council is responsible for:

Expressing its opinion on the activity plan and report of Camões, I.P., in the area of the Portuguese language and culture;
Providing an opinion on training plans relating to the teaching of Portuguese overseas;
Providing an opinion on the planning relating to the Portuguese teaching network abroad;
Providing an opinion on the setting up of Portuguese cultural centers and the co-ordination structures of the Portuguese teaching abroad;
Providing an opinion, on its own initiative or at the request of the President, on initiatives relevant to Camões, I.P’s roles regarding the Portuguese language and culture;
Interfacing Camões, I.P. with governmental bodies and public services with which the Institute is involved in order to fulfil its duties in the area of the Portuguese language and culture.