2 December 2020 – The Global Parliament of Mayors is honoured to welcome its newest member, Hélder Silva elected as the Mayor of Mafra in 2013. Mayor Silva participated during the GPM Summit in Durban, South Africa, in 2019 and has signed the GPM Resolution on Violence Reduction in 2020. The city of Mafra is characterized by its growing demographic and urban development. Mayor Silva has said the following: “Free exchange of ideas, knowledge, experience and expertise, bringing a different voice to the global political arena, by promoting collaborative solutions to the main issues, such as the current health crisis, sustainability, climate changes, security, or economic development, that impact cities all around the world. The GPM helps improving democracy through the strengthening of local government.”
Biography of Mayor Silva:
Born in 1965 in Mafra, he is a Doctoral Candidate in Strategic Studies at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the Technical University of Lisbon. He has a Master in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and a postgraduate in Security and Defense.
He served as a Deputy for the Parliamentary Group of the Social Democratic Party in the Assembly of the Republic, and as a Councilor for the Municipality of Mafra. He has extensive professional experience as Director of Technical Services for the National Fire and Civil Protection Service, Army Officer, university professor, as well as representative in the most diverse public and private entities.