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Estoril Conferences 2015
Speech Vice-mayor Miguel Pinto Luz

Dear Mayor, Dear Secretary of state, Dear Ambassadors, Dear Members of the parliament, Dear Councilors, My Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning São Paulo / Brazil, Good Morning Washington / United states, Good evening Beijing / China, Good afternoon Jerusalem / Israel, Good afternoon AARUS / Denmark, Good afternoon Rotterdam / Netherlands, Good afternoon Cape town / South Africa, Good afternoon Cascais.
My sincere apologies to everyone in the room, but my first words must go to all those who are watching and joining us via live streaming in the various auditoriums in the many universities spread throughout the world and who are honoring us by being our academic partners. Our gratitude to you all.

We are now initiating more than 36 hours of debate, with over 60 speakers, from 26 different countries… from the 5 corners of the world.....
Two years have passed and we meet again, in the same place, in the same amazing congress center and a lot has changed, but unfortunately… a lot has satyed the same…

The United States announced the renewal of normal relations between the U.S. and Cuba, but the situation is far from being resolved;
Pope Francis says that he believes in the evolution theory and in the Big Bang, much has changed, but a lot has stayed the same;
Someone said” While in the previous dictatorship people could go to hell if they wanted to… with a religious dictatorship, ISLAM is imposed on all people, and Islam forces them to go to heaven, this is the difference between political dictatorship and a religious one” these words were spoken by SHERIN EBADI in 2013 in this very place where we stand today…Little has changed;
The Euro Crisis appears to have ended, but the risk of Grexit is still in the air;
Iran Accepted the nuclear agreement, but ISIS still launches terror over us;
The entire world was at the Winter Olympic Games, but the Cold War is back;
150 years ago, Susan B Antony struggled to empower women, to give them the same rights, the same opportunities, the same respect… what about today? Have things really changed?;
Ten years before Lincoln said that: “a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Are we living that promise?;
Our Mediterranean neighbors in northern Africa still face a challenge that was alluded by Socrates in the 4th century BC… when he said: "The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways, I to die, and you to live. Which of these two is better only God knows…" - Either way, how much is a life worth?

This is what Estoril conferences are about Debate, Ideas, Discussion.
Sometimes we agree sometimes don't. But allow me to tell you how Estoril Conferences were created… The year was 2006, and a group of young friends, sat at a small round table, with bright ideas and big dreams…Empowered by the then deputy mayor and now Mayor Carlos Carreiras, dreaming about creating an international conference, here in Cascais e Estoril, a global conference… a conference independent of ideologies or religious sides, completely independent!!
We started our quest for conferences around the world that we could learn from. How to organize one? We searched for someone that would open the door and explain how to do it…several letters were sent out, hundreds … But just one answer was received.
Aarhus University was the one, and Professor Michael boss was the person who opened the door to MATCHPOINTS - the university annual conference… for those who believe in destiny…the first academic partnership was established… Erasmus University was the second to believe in our dream, and then Georgetown, Getúlio Vargas foundation, the Hebrew university of Jerusalem and the Institute for Political Studies.
I´ve learned, we have learned our first lesson…the truth is that perfect models don’t exist; we cannot be so arrogant as to think that our model is the only right one… that we are right and all others are wrong. Cultures are different, people think differently. We must adapt… Just imagine it!! Top Universities from around the world believing in our dream as much as we do!

We were collaborating with the world. The program at that point was designed with everyone’s input, the contribution of the world, the academic world, OUR PARTNERS!!
The Universities were invited to integrate every aspect of our conference, from the program, to the Jury of our awards and prizes or the Youth Summit.
Dialogue made us stronger, able to achieve the impossible…. And here we are at the 4th edition. And then we have started to realize that we were finally starting to make an impact !!
When you receive strong “recommendations” from international governments you know you are getting there…
When you receive letters from embassies you know you are making a point,
When you receive phone calls from people that want to speak at the conference… you are truly there…

The Estoril conferences are like anything else, they are made by people, they are made of stories, stories of people that interact with us, on one way or the other.
The Estoril conferences are made up of all of us, those who are here now in this room and those who have passed through here before. In 3 editions we have had more than 120 speakers, from 50 different countries, from 5 continents, but they are all people, and each and every one of them has a different story to tell about this amazing debate forum.
The Estoril conferences are made by the 120 speakers, but they are also made by the +200 staff members and over 4000 participants, and I assure you, that all of them, when arrive back home they talk about it, and when they go to the office in the next day, they also talk about it!
Debates that travel from mouth to mouth, most of them printed in newspapers, read by thousands, seen by millions on TV, spread to the world by this amazing technology called the internet, opening up young bright young minds, minds that hopefully gather around small round tables to create something new, something ambitious just as we did in 2006.

But we have learned another lesson, We always have to be alert, sharp, and anticipate. We have looked to Europe and learned from it...
After decades of alliances, treaties and agreements, attempt after attempt, crisis after crisis, war after war, endeavor after endeavor, Europe has not yet reached adulthood. It is still stuck to the umbilical cord of its birth… but the rest of the world has changed!! It is no longer the same! Europe is still crawling instead of walking or running.

The problem of Europe are the walls below the Ocean level that influence the tide, Europe I not standing alone, and has to be pushed every day!! Either we run towards reaching global dialogue and global understanding, or the result will not be a pretty one. The past has shown us this many times … And if there’s one thing that history has taught us, it is that history repeats itself.
Dialogue is the key. Now that the Estoril Conferences are consolidated with 3 new Academic Partners: Cape Town University from South Africa, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business from China and the University that will be established in Cascais in 2017, Nova School of Business & Economics; it’s time to go ahead. It is time to go even further; With the entire legacy aboard, all the sponsors, all the institutions, all the public authorities, our fellow speakers and most important all participants and academic partners, it is time to fly…

The creation of the Estoril Institute for global Dialogue is already a reality, trough the will of the sponsors, the academic partners, and of course by the driving force of my dear friend Milton Sousa together with the entire Estoril Conferences team, thank you for your commitment to this ambitious mission.
We wish you all good luck, and please take care of our baby, take very good care of our baby, our legacy for the generations to come, please honor our small round table of 2006!

Thank you all for your attention, and please remember that.
Quoting my personal favorite, POPE JOHN PAUL II
THE FUTURE STARTS TODAY! NOT TOMORROW!
Let the debate begin.

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