Timor-Leste participates in the Pacific Exposition 2019
Timor-Leste participates from July 11 to 14 in the first Pacific Exhibition 2019, an event taking place in Auckland, New Zealand, bringing together 19 countries from the Pacific region. This is a trade, investment and tourism event designed to promote economic opportunities in the South Pacific countries and is organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga, with the support of the Governments of New Zealand and with the aim of strengthening regional cooperation and sharing experiences in trade, tourism and investment and culture for the economic development of the countries of the region.
The Timor-Leste delegation, led by the Secretary of State for Cooperatives, Arsénio Pereira, includes the Timor-Leste Ambassador to New Zealand, Cristiano da Costa and the Director General of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism , Trade and Industry, José Quintas, TradeInvest's Director of External Relations and Marketing, and representatives of the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and the Secretary of State for Arts and Culture.
The Pacific Exhibition 2019 included Timor-Leste, Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Cook Islands, Marhall Islands, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Nauru, Niue, Nova Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Samoa and Tuvalu.
On the first day of the event a tourism forum was held, with three sessions with the themes "Improvement of connectivity in tourist destinations", "Creation of a tourism brand for the Pacific" and "Development of Human Capital in the Tourism Area". During first session, which was attended by the Director General José Quintas, participants addressed the need to improve public infrastructures, namely at the level of connectivity, with the need to improve the conditions of roads, airports and ports in the countries of the Pacific region.
On the second day of the event, after the official opening ceremony, the exhibition was inaugurated with 39 stands from 19 countries and companies in the region. Then, the Business and Investment Forum was inaugurated with the participation of the Secretary of State for Cooperatives and the Director of TradeInvest. Under the theme "Promoting Trade and Investment Partnerships in the Pacific Region through Improved Connectivity, Market Integration and Infrastructure Development", the Business and Investment Forum sought to unleash the potential for trade still hidden in the Pacific region.
On the third day of the event a Cultural Forum was held, with the participation of a representative of the Secretary of State for Art and Culture, Cláudio Cabral. The cultural forum aimed to establish sustainable cooperation in the field of culture and strengthen a Pacific identity in the global community. This main theme was divided into the following four sub-themes as follows: "Understanding the Origin and History of Cultural Identity among the Nations of the Pacific"; "Community and Difference: The Road to a Joint Multinational Naming of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO"; "Promotion of the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Pacific Region"; and "Our culture for the future: the advancement of the creative industry in the Pacific region".
During the four days of the event several cultural events were held, with concerts and performances representative of the cultural heritage of the various delegations. On the last day of the Pacific Exposition 2019 it was Timor-Leste's turn to present its traditional dance and culture with the performance of a representative of the Santo António Group.
