Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 30, 2013
Prezidénsia Konsellu Ministrus
V Constitutional Government
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Dili, January 30, 2013
Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 30, 2013
The V Constitutional Government met this Wednesday 30 January 2013 at the meeting room of the Council of Ministers, at the Government Palace in Díli, where it started by welcoming the national Taekwondo athletes who recently excelled in two international competitions. Nilton Gilman Corte Real and Eulália da ConceiçãoAmaral, two Timorese Taekwondo athletes, stepped up to the podium at the Indonesia Open, which took place from 14 to 16 December, to receive silver medals. At the ASEAN University Games in Laos, which took place from 11 to 22 December, Timorese Taekwondo athletes Joannas Paulus Otnomen, António Pires and Celfia Maria Freitas also received silver medals.
Accompanied by the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports and by their respective coach, Luís Lemos, the youths have been received by the Council of Ministers, which congratulated them for the results achieved.
With their eyes set in the future, the team is now preparing itself for the 2013 Seagames to take place in Myanmar, as well as for the CPLP Games in Goa.
In this meeting, the Council of Ministers approved the following:
1. Government Resolution supporting the establishment, in Díli, of the Asian Council for Peace and Reconciliation
The Council of Ministers donated 250 thousand dollars for support and financial assistance for the installation of the Asian Council for Peace and Reconciliation.
This foundation was created by former Heads of State (including H.E. Dr. José Ramos-Horta), Heads of Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Asian region and was launched this year in Bangkok. Its main objective is to promote an atmosphere of peace and stability in Asia, conducive to economic cooperation, trade, investment and tourism throughout the entire region, thereby materializing the vision of a peaceful and prosperous Asia in the 21st century.
2. Government Resolution reactivating the Inter-Ministerial Commission for Rural Development (ICRD)
During the IV Constitutional Government, the coordination of this Commission was the responsibility of the Ministry for Economy and Development. The abolition of this Ministry led to a vacuum of responsibilities insofar as this body was concerned, a situation that is now solved with the reactivation of this Commission, now placed under the supervision of the Deputy Prime Minister, with the participation of several relevant ministries, notably the Ministry of State Administration, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Public Works.
3. Government Resolution on the Assistance to Victims of Floods and Inundations in Mozambique
Following the inundations that affected the Southern part of Mozambique, originating dozens of deaths and over 150 displaced people, the Council of Ministers approved a donation of 750 thousand American dollars for humanitarian assistance to the affected population.
It should be stressed that one of the areas most affected by the heavy rains is Gaza province, where the humanitarian assistance teams have not yet been able to assess the current situation in the most isolated villages.
4. Government Resolution on the Assistance to the Victims of the Typhoon in the Philippines
Typhoon Botha, one of the most devastating in 2012, hit the Philippines on December 4, causing more than one thousand deadly victims, over 800 disappeared people and approximately 850 thousand displaced people as a result of the destruction of their homes.
Against this scenario, the Council of Ministers approved the allocation of 750 thousand American dollars for humanitarian assistance to the affected population which fights daily against the lack of food, drinking water, shelter and assistance.
5. Government Resolution that appoints the representative of Timor-Leste for the issue of the “Special Zone of Social Market Economy” in Oe-Cusse Ambeno
After analyzing this Programme at the meeting of the Council of ministers held on 16 January, the Government decided to appoint Dr. Marí Alkatiri as the Representative of Timor-Leste to initiate a dialogue in Portugal and in other CPLP countries and conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of the “Special Zone of Social Market Economy” in Oe-Cusse Ambeno. The Government also decided to appoint the Senior Minister and Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers as the Government focal point for this Programme.
It should be recalled that, in accordance with article 5, paragraph 3, of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, which provides that Oe-Cusse Ambeno enjoys a special administrative and economic treatment, this constitutes a pilot-project that shall be implemented in Oe-Cusse Ambeno District with the objective of providing a new perspective of future, notably insofar as economic growth, employment and fighting against poverty are concerned.
6. Timor-Leste Development Agency
After analyzing the project at the meeting of the Council of Ministers of 16 January, the Government approved the establishment of the Timor-Leste Cooperation Agency, (Portuguese acronym: ACT-L).
The objective of the Timor-Leste Cooperation Agency will be to develop foreign assistance directed towards developing countries through actions intended particularly for technical cooperation, notably: good governance, rural development, and prevention of natural disasters.
The Agency will be linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MNEC), but will be autonomous from the administrative viewpoint and flexible insofar as its management is concerned.
Its projects will be executed on the basis of the agreements signed by Timor-Leste with other countries and international bodies, and shall be guided by the external policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation as well as by the national priorities in terms of development as defined in the Government Programme.
The Council of Ministers also analyzed the following:
1. Calendar for Administrative Decentralization
The Minister of State Administration, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Administrative Decentralization and the Secretary of State for Local Development, provided the Council of Ministers with an update on the work being done for the implementation of the municipalities as well as the scope of local government. The calendarization of the activities included in the administrative decentralization process for this year, as well as the organization of the process itself, were analyzed by the Council of Ministers with a view to facilitating its implementation, involving all relevant ministries.
