Council of Ministers’ meeting of September 6th, 2016
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Sixth Constitutional Government
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Dili, September 6th, 2016
Press Release
Council of Ministers meeting of September 6th, 2016
The Council of Ministers met on Tuesday, at the Government Palace in Dili, and authorized the Ministry of Finance to initiate the Timor-Leste accession process to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Two proposals from the Ministry of Health were also approved: the amendment proposal to Decree-Law N. 39/2008 of October 29th, approving the Statute of the National Health Laboratory, in order to harmonize the operational structures of the national health service autonomous entities by adopting a single remuneration system for the administration structures of the personalized services of the Ministry of Health; and the proposal to increase the grant to Cuban Medical Brigade staff in Timor-Leste, to meet increased operating expenses, which have been rising over recent years.
The Council of Ministers analysed the Ministerial Diploma project to recognise the Timorese Sucos and Villages, presented by the Minister of State, Coordinator of State Administration Affairs and Justice and Minister of State Administration, according to Law N. 9/2016, of July 8th (Sucos Law), approved by the National Parliament last July. This Ministerial Decree aims to correct previous mistakes in the recognition of Sucos and Villages and was prepared through a comprehensive process of consultation with local administration. The Ministry will publish the project after review in accordance with the recommendations of the Council of Ministers. The diploma will contain the full list of Sucos and Villages.
The Office of the Minister of State, Coordinator for Economic Affairs presented a Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, in order to improve entrepreneurs' access to finance and thereby support private sector growth. The legislation concerning the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will soon be analysed by the Council of Ministers.
The Minister of State, Coordinator for Social Affairs and Minister of Education presented a summary of the statistical data, policies and ongoing activities in Technical-Vocational Secondary Education (TVSE). An increase in the access to primary and secondary education is being observed – this year, a total of 7,938 students and 771 teachers in 32 TVSE schools, private and public, from all over the country were registered. It should be noted that the total number of schools of secondary education (public and private, the TVSE and General Secondary Education) is 122, with a total of 55,998 students. The Council of Ministers also analysed the Ministry’s proposed measures according to the guidelines of the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 and the Government Programme for the development of TVSE.
The Minister of Education, together with the National Commission of Children Rights, also presented the National Action Plan for Children 2016-2020. This plan comes under the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, concerning the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. ENDS
