Timor-Leste to Host 4th Asian Portuguese Community Conference in Dili

Timor-Leste will host the 4th edition of the Asian Portuguese Community Conference (APCC) from 27 to 29 June 2025 at the Dili Convention Centre, in its capital Dili. This major regional cultural event celebrates the enduring legacy of Portuguese heritage across Asia.

The three-day biennial conference is organised by the IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste and with the organisational partnership of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).

The theme for the 4^th APCC in 2025 is “United in Diversity: Challenges and Opportunities of an Enduring Legacy.”

The Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, will warmly welcome to Timor-Leste groups representing the Portuguese Settlement of Malacca (Malaysia), Portuguese Burghers of Batticaloa (Sri Lanka), Bayingyis of the Mu Valley (Myanmar), Conceição, Sta. Cruz, and Our Lady of Rosário Parishes (Thailand), Macau (China), Goa (India), the Tugu Mardijkers Jakarta and the Larantuqueiros/Topasse of Flores (Indonesia). This conference will also bring scholars, researchers, cultural leaders, artists and dignitaries from the wider Lusophone world to share the results of their studies and diverse experiences.

The APCC was originally launched in Malacca, Malaysia, in 2016 to bring together communities who have maintained their Portuguese heritage and cultural links across the Asian region. Timor-Leste was represented by the then Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment, Xanana Gusmão, who attended as the guest of honour and took the opportunity to challenge the organisers to consider hosting a future edition of the APCC in Dili.

The three-day program of the 4^th APCC Conference includes keynote lectures, roundtable discussions, cultural exhibitions, academic presentations and culinary and cultural presentations.

A key milestone of the conference will be the signing of the Dili Declaration, formally establishing the Asian Portuguese Communities Association (APCA), a new regional platform dedicated to cultural cooperation, heritage preservation and knowledge sharing.

This important gathering of diverse groups with a shared history reaffirms Timor-Leste’s commitment, as the only Portuguese-speaking country in Asia, to preserving connections to a cultural heritage that can strengthen linkages between Asian nations and Portuguese-speaking nations.

The inaugural APCC, held in Melaka in 2016, with the aim of fostering closer ties, promoting the Portuguese language and culture and encouraging lasting collaboration among Portuguese-descendant communities in Asia. This landmark event brought together delegates from countries including Australia, China and Timor-Leste.

The full program of the 4^th  Asian Portuguese Community Conference (APCC) can be found HERE.