São Paulo – The 6th Brazilians Around the World Conference will run from May 23 to 25 at the Catussaba Resort Hotel in Salvador, Bahia, in partnership with the Brazilian federal government. The event will welcome Brazilian expatriates from over 30 countries who are involved in initiatives and sociocultural programs designed to support Brazilian migrants. It will air live online.
There will be speakers from Lebanon, the UAE, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Canada, the United States, Suriname and Argentina. The Conference will be organized by the consular arm of Brazil’s Foreign Ministry and by Fundação Alexandre de Gusmão (Funag).
“Tandem work by Brazil’s government and expatriates involves an array of fields, including addressing gender violence, supporting continuing education and micro-entrepreneurship, nurturing cultural and emotional ties with Brazil, encouraging associations, etc.,” said the director of the consular department for Brazilians overseas, Luiza Lopes.
This year will see the Conference’s 10th anniversary, featuring seven panels on the following: Social Security and Gender Issues; Work and Entrepreneurship; Consular Services; Culture; Education; Associations; and Legal Issues. An eighth panel on Sports, Health and Nutrition is pending confirmation. Discussions will revolve around the advances, challenges and outlook in each field, and a strategic plan will be outlined for the next few years.
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Speakers will include Sheila Nabil, from the Council of Citizens of Beirut, in Lebanon; and Magaly Quadros, from the Council of Citizens of Dubai, in the UAE.
Lopes believes it’s important that the Brazilian government and expatriate community remain in touch at all times, via the Council of Representatives of Brazilians Abroad (Conselho de Representantes de Brasileiros no Exterior – CRBE).
“Each community has its own particularities, which depend on the issues in each country; the more different the culture, the bigger the need for Brazilians to get together and build this support network,” Lopes said.
She also said that in most of the councils, women are the majority. “Men usually get together for other stuff, like sports; the women are more concerned with their children’s education, child custody issues, and they are the ones who are victims of violence more often. All of these issues are widely discussed in the councils,” she explained.
“And these are usually Brazilian women who are married to non-Brazilians, who are not on the labor market and who want to come back to Brazil, so they create this network to support one another and to share information. That makes it easier for them to get back to work or school,” she said.
There are an estimated 3 million Brazilians expatriates in over 30 countries. The United States is home to the biggest Brazilian expat community at 1.1 million residents, followed by Spain and the United Kingdom, at 140,000 each; Portugal, at 110,000; Switzerland, at 100,000; Germany, at 90,000; and Belgium at 70,000.
As for Arab countries, there are 16,000 Brazilians in Lebanon (including the locally-born children of Brazilian immigrants); 10,000 in the UAE; 5,000 in Palestine; 2,250 in Jordan; 870 in Qatar; 650 in Saudi Arabia; and 390 in Oman.
For more on the event and to watch it live online, please go to the Funag website.
Quick facts
6th Brazilians Around the World Conference
May 23 to 25
Catussaba Resort Hotel
Alameda Praia de Itapeba, S/N – Itapuã
Salvador – Bahia
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
