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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on December 2nd, 2022
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved an amendment to the decree approved by the Council of Ministers at the meeting of November 9th, 2022, on the extraordinary payment of one month’s additional salary. As a result of the amendment now approved, will be entitled to that payment the employees and agents of the Public Administration (with an administrative provision contract), as well as public administration workers hired for a fixed term with a salary less than US$ 500 and that do not provide professional activity in ministerial offices.
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Also approved was the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, to establish the Mission Unit for Combating Stunting.
The role of the Mission Unit for Combating Stunting is to prepare the National Plan for Combating Stunting, implement the measures foreseen in it, contribute to informing the population about the causes and consequences of stunting, mobilize the population in general to adopt preventive behaviours against stunting, support stunting treatment and mitigation activities, and ensure the coordination of administrative bodies and services to combat stunting and child malnutrition.
This unit, in coordination with the other relevant bodies and administrative services, will be responsible for drafting an Action Plan for Combating Stunting in Timor-Leste, as well as for implementing the measures foreseen therein.
Given the multidisciplinary and multisectoral nature of the actions that will have to be undertaken, it will depend on the Prime Minister. The Mission Unit for Combating Stunting will be dissolved on December 31st, 2024.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Decree, presented by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Joaquim Amaral, which approves the value of the remuneration of the Members of the Governing Bodies, of the Employees, and the attendance fees to be paid to the members of the Consultative Council of the Investment and Export Promotion Agency of Timor-Leste, I.P. (TradeInvest).
This Government Decree sets a gross monthly remuneration of US$ 5,000 for TradeInvest’s CEO and a gross monthly remuneration of US$ 2,500 for TradeInvest’s Statutory Auditor.
The members of TradeInvest’s Advisory Board are entitled to receive an attendance fee of US$ 150 for each meeting of the body in which they participate. The attendance fee is only payable when the meeting lasts at least four hours.
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The Council of Ministers decided to propose to His Excellency the President of the Republic the awarding of the Order of Timor-Leste award, Medal Degree, to Mr Peter Roberts, former Ambassador of the Commonwealth of Australia in Timor-Leste.
The Council of Ministers understands that the diplomatic action developed by Ambassador Peter Roberts, as Head of the Diplomatic Mission of the Commonwealth of Australia in Timor-Leste, had a very significant contribution in benefit of the country and the Timorese, namely the fundamental role he played in the consolidation and strengthening of the relations of friendship and cooperation established between the Timorese State and the Australian State; his intervention in the implementation of the support granted by the Australian State to the Timorese State in the fight against the COVID-19 disease pandemic and in the response and assistance to the victims of the floods that devastated Timor-Leste on April 4th, 2021; and its action and commitment that ensured the support of the Australian State in the execution of some of the measures foreseen in the Economic Recovery Plan and the reinforcement of the support of the Australian State in the scope of capacity building and training of Timorese human resources, namely through the Australian Pacific Training Coalition.
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The Council of Ministers decided to authorize the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Abrão Saldanha, to sign the Cooperation Framework Agreement on Sports between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the National Institute for Sports, Physical Education and Recreation of the Republic of Cuba.
Following the cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in 2011, a new agreement is now proposed to strengthen and expand the areas of cooperation on physical activity and sports.
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The Council of Ministers, according to the project presented by the Minister of Public Works, Abel Pires da Silva, decided to approve the procurement procedure for the public service contract for the supervision of the construction of water and sanitation systems in the capital cities of Lautém, Manufahi and Viqueque municipalities. The public contract worth US$ 6.5 million, aims to ensure the supervision of the construction of drinking water supply and sanitation systems for the populations of the referred municipalities.
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The Council of Ministers decided to authorize the Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes, to sign three agreements:
1. A Financing Agreement with Australia and Export Finance Australia regarding the “Timor-Leste Airport Facilities Project”. This agreement provides for a financial contribution by Australia to Timor-Leste, in the amount of US$ 28.36 million and a loan in the amount of US$ 45 million, with a 25-year maturity, to finance the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport development project.
2. A financial contribution agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) regarding the project “Improvement of Equipment for Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery”. This agreement provides for a financial contribution by JICA to Timor-Leste, of 801 million yen (approximately US$ 5.7 million), to finance the procurement of goods and services for the improvement of equipment for disaster risk reduction and recovery.
3. A financial contribution agreement with the World Bank for the project “Timor-Leste COVID-19 Response and Health System Preparedness”. This agreement provides for a financial contribution by the World Bank to Timor-Leste, of US$ 5 million to finance the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program and the strengthening of the health system’s capacity to prepare for health emergencies and provide essential health services.
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This was followed by the presentation, also by the Minister of Finance, of the political-legislative options underlying the initiative to establish the National Procurement Commission, I.P.
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Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, and the ANAPMA team gave two presentations to the Council of Ministers regarding the National Integrated Medium Term Planning Framework and the Voluntary National Review (VNR) on Timor-Leste’s progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. END