Media Releases
- 07 of March of 2025Meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 7th, 2025Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste
Ninth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 7th, 2025
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft government decree presented by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, on the Conditions for Awarding the School Lunch Programme Subsidy.
The Government recognises the importance of adequate nutrition for healthy growth, effective learning and the reduction of inequalities. The School Meals Programme has emerged as a strategic initiative to guarantee universal and equitable access to nutritious meals in the country's pre-school and basic education establishments.
This programme aims not only to tackle food insecurity and improve school performance, but also to promote the sustainable development of local communities by encouraging the production and consumption of food from local agriculture. The implementation of the School Meals Programme is thus a commitment by the state to the well-being and future of children, contributing to the eradication of hunger, the strengthening of the local economy and the development of Timorese human capital.
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The Minister of Health, Élia A. A. dos Reis Amaral presented to the Council of Ministers the procurement procedure for the construction of a new building for the Ministry of Health, which began with the 8th Constitutional Government. However, the reasons behind the contracting by the previous Government were profoundly modified with the approval of the 9th Constitutional Government's programme, so its continuation would imply the use of financial resources without benefit to the Timorese, which goes against the public interest.
Due to the aforementioned reasons, on October 3rd, 2024, the Minister of Health notified the company ASBALAN, Unipessoal, Lda of the decision to terminate the contract, following Article 138(1)(a) and (b) of Decree-Law No. 22/2022, of May 11th, which approves the Legal Framework for Procurement, Public Contracts and Related Infringements, as amended by Decree-Law No. 14/2023, of April 12th.
ASBALAN, Unipessoal, Lda submitted a complaint on October 21st, 2024, although it was after the legal deadline (the 15-day deadline expired on October 18th, 2024).
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The Council of Ministers also approved the draft Government Resolution presented by the Vice Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, concerning the dismissal of Mrs Agusta Antónia Gomes, from the position of Deputy Executive Director of the Business Registration and Verification Service, I.P. (SERVE, I.P.).
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Lastly, in accordance with the draft presented by the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, the Council of Ministers decided to authorise expenditure on the programme on ‘implementation of the Tasi Mane project on the country's southern coast’ in the amount of US$ 40,500,000. END - 27 of February of 2025Day off in the morning of 5th March 2025 for the celebration of “Ash Wednesday”Day off in the morning of 5th March 2025 for the celebration of “Ash Wednesday”more
- 26 of February of 2025Meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 26th, 2025Approved:more
1 - Competition Law.
2 - Authorization to sign a Financial Contribution Agreement with the European Union relating to the Multi-Year Action Plan for Timor-Leste for 2021-2027.
3 - Authorize the complete proposals in the areas of trade in services and movement of natural persons, to be submitted as Timor-Leste's initial proposals to the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Member States.
4 - Vacancies for the promotion by seniority of staff in the careers of the General Regime.
5 - Donation to the Permanent Representation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in Timor-Leste.
6 - Timor-Leste's voluntary contribution to the Special Fund of the CPLP, to finance the project “Lusofonia in Timor-Leste”.
7 - Dismissal and appointment of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of RTTL, EP.
8 - Authorize expenditure for an annual grant to the Timorese Episcopal Conference (CET).
Analysed:
1 - Report on the operational management of the Petroleum Fund. - 19 of February of 2025Meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 19th, 2025Approved:more
1 - Statutory Auditor of the National Press of Timor-Leste, IP
2 - negotiation of a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with regard to income taxes;
3 - expenditure for the signing of the Subsidy Contract between the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and TIMOR GAP, EP in the amount of 16 million US dollars for the year 2025. - 12 of February of 2025Meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 12th, 2025Approved:more
1 - Industrial Property Code;
2 - Expenditure for the subsidy contract for the transfer of a provision from the General State Budget (OGE), in the Ministry of Public Works Program “802 Electricity”, to EDTL, EP.
Analysed:
1 - Informative presentation on the cases of successive abstract review of unconstitutionality requested to the Court of Appeal by the PDHJ. - 05 of February of 2025Meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 5th, 2025Approved:more
1 - fees due under the environmental licensing procedure;
2 - dismissal of the Regional Secretary for Finance of the RAEOA Authority;
3 - definition of the recruitment needs for 2025 of the PNTL and to authorize the opening of a public competition for admission to the Agents ‘Training Course and the Officers’ Training Course;
4 - authorisation of expenditure for 8 public works projects.
5 - creation of the Interministerial Working Group responsible for drawing up Timor-Leste's Initial Report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Analysed:
1 - presentation on the national commitment to eliminating violence against children. - 30 of January of 2025Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 30th, 2025Approved:more
1 - Special Economic Development Zone in Oe-Cusse Ambeno;
2 - instruct the Minister of State Administration, representing the State, to notify the contractors in public contracts LCB/006/MAE/2020 and LCB/007/MAE/2020, relating to urban solid waste management and the Tibar dump, to fulfill their contractual obligations within a maximum of 15 days;
3 - rules of implementation of legal measures regarding the registration of the data of national liberation combatants and martyrs, resulting from the publication of the notice of the second registration-2009. - 28 of January of 2025Day-Off on January 29th 2025 on the Occasion of the Chinese New Year CelebrationDay-Off on January 29th 2025 on the Occasion of the Chinese New Year Celebrationmore
