The regional prize “Maria Veleda” 2017 has just been awarded to the economist and former Algarvean politician José Mendes Bota, «recognizing in his life path the exceptional national and international work» in the scope of citizenship, ethics or gender equality.
The jury decided to distinguish, with this award, the economist also for his work in the «dignification of women, equal opportunities between men and women, defense of human rights and prevention and criminalization of violence against women, having been the main promoter of the first European convention against domestic violence», explains, in a statement, the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve.
In the presentation of the Council of Europe Medal of Merit, which was awarded to him in 2015, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Anne Brasseur, referred to José Mendes Bota as a "true ambassador of the Council of Europe and the Istanbul Convention", to highlight the determining role it played in all stages of the process. which led to the drafting, approval and entry into force of the “Convention of the Council of Europe on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence”.
"All the work he developed in various positions in the Council of Europe identifies him with the purpose of the award and links José Mendes Bota to the name of the Portuguese feminist who symbolizes him, Maria Veleda, a fighter for women's rights", justifies the Regional Director of Culture of the Algarve.
The jury also highlighted "its relationship with the Algarve in the defense and preservation of social, cultural and humanist values, and the unique and solitary work that it developed against the exploitation of hydrocarbons on the Algarve coast", he adds.
This Mendes Bota candidacy was presented by Nuno Alexandre Correia.
The Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve also congratulates the remaining three candidates for the projects and actions that each one has carried out and that have greatly contributed to the socio-cultural development of the Algarve.
With the creation of this Award, in 2014, the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Algarve, intends to recognize the cultural and civic path of leading personalities in particularly relevant and innovative interventions in the region and to contribute to the strategic area “Promotion of Equality between Women and Men in Public Policies”, Measure 21 – Culture, of the V National Plan for Gender Equality, Citizenship and Non-Discrimination, taking place in the period 2014-2017.
In this way, the Algarve provides «its public recognition to José Mendes Bota, a personality with a life path where he stands out, not only in the scope of his political competences, in all his actions, associated with the defense of Human Rights, highlighting and giving voice to causes such as ethics, equality, non-discrimination, social promotion, sustainable development and the defense of cultural values».
The award, whose delivery is scheduled for the month of December, on a space and day to be announced shortly, has a donation of 5 thousand euros and a commemorative medal, offered by the company "Nova Cortiça" which, since the beginning, has been associated with the award regional “Maria Veleda”.
The jury was made up of Alexandra Rodrigues Gonçalves, regional director of Culture of the Algarve, Ana Paula Amendoeira, regional director of Culture of the Alentejo, António Branco, rector of the University of Algarve (UAlg), Idálio Revez, journalist for “Público”, José Carlos Barros, landscape architect and congressman, Lídia Jorge, writer, Mirian Tavares, professor and researcher at UAlg, Natividade Monteiro, professor and researcher, and Paulo Cunha, professor of music.
José Mendes Bota was born on August 4, 1955 in Loulé, graduated in Economics, completed a postgraduate degree in Advanced Management and studied Law. In addition to having been mayor of Loulé from 1982 to 1985, he was also a deputy in the Assembly of the Republic, elected by the PSD, in the III, IV, V, VI, VII, X and XI Legislatures and a deputy in the European Parliament from 1989 to 1994 and 1998 to 1999.
Mendes Bota took over, in May 2016, functions of "High-Level Political and Parliamentary Adviser" in the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, being the number two of this diplomatic representation.
Comments