Media Releases
- 09 of June of 2021Meeting of the Council of Ministers on june 9, 2021Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on june 9th, 2021
The Council of Ministers met, in the Ministry of Finance Auditorium, in Dili, and after reviewing the presentation of the country’s epidemiological situation, from the Situation Room of the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management (CIGC- acronym in Portuguese) coordinators, approved the draft Government’s Resolution maintaining the imposition of sanitary fence in the municipality of Baucau for another 7 days. The council of ministers decided not to renew the imposition of the sanitary fence in the Municipality of Viqueque. The imposition of sanitary fences in the municipalities of Bobonaro, Covalima and Dili also remains in force.
Thus, the prohibition of movement of people between the Baucau Municipality and the other administrative districts is maintained, except in duly justified cases, for reasons of public security, public health, humanitarian assistance, maintenance of public supply systems, or the achievement of public interest.
The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Armanda Berta dos Santos and the members of the Interministerial Commission for the Preparation and Coordination of the Execution of the Vaccination Plan against COVID-19 presented to the Council of Ministers the state of execution of the COVID-19 Vaccination Plan.
As of June 8th, 93,525 people across the country have already received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19, which represents 12% of the population over 18 years old. In Dili, the municipality most affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, the first dose has already been administered to a total of 80,948 people, 40% of the population over 18 years of age in this municipality.
In the first phase, between April 7th and 28th, vaccines were distributed to 28,412 people. In the second phase, between May 10th and 28th, a total of 48,170 people received the first dose of the vaccine. From May 31st to June 8th, 16,943 doses were administered. Between May 10th and June 5th, an average of 3,000 people were vaccinated each day.
According to the vaccination plan, in the Municipality of Dili, the first dose will continue to be administered to the population that has not yet received vaccination, with the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. With the arrival of the vaccines from the COVAX mechanism, second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will begin to be distributed throughout the country to the population vaccinated in the first phase. The first doses will also continue to be distributed in the remaining municipalities, with priority being given to citizens over 60 years old or with comorbidities.
The Council of Ministers expressed gratitude for all the support that has been received from friendly nations and development partners in the procurement of the vaccines.
The Government has also decided that will prepare for the possibility of purchasing vaccines for citizens under the age of 18, and also provide for the possible need to purchase vaccine for immunity booster for the year 2022.
The Prime-Minister called on the members of the Interministerial Commission for the Preparation and Coordination of the Execution of the Vaccination Plan against COVID-19 to intensify the implementation of the vaccination in order to increase the daily average of administered vaccines.
Lastly, the Government appealed to the entire population to participate in the immunization campaign, a factor that will be crucial for us to return to normality. END
- 05 of June of 2021Prime Minister/ Minister of the Interior Taur Matan Ruak condemns the murder of two citizens in LahanePrime Ministermore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Dili, Timor-Leste, 05 June 2021
Press Release
Prime Minister/ Minister of the Interior Taur Matan Ruak condemns the murder of two citizens in Lahane
Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, also Minister of Interior, regretted and strongly condemned the act of the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL) element that murdered two citizens and injured a third, in West Lahane, on Saturday morning. The Prime Minister presented the deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family of the victims of this tragedy.
"I was very surprised and saddened when news reached me that a PNTL element, this early morning, with a State weapon, took the lives of two citizens in West Lahane. I strongly regret and condemn this act. None of us can tolerate such a situation and therefore, as Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, I have ordered the PNTL Command that this individual be immediately disarmed, arrested and that the investigation process be started.
On this unfortunate occasion, on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government, I extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family of the victims, and we apologise to the family for this act involving a member of the PNTL" Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak said.
The Head of the Government also pledged that the Government will take strict measures against this Police officer, making him responsible for the act he committed, and also guaranteed that the Government will follow the whole process and will support the family of the victims in the pursuit of justice. End - 02 of June of 2021Meeting of the Council of Ministers on june 2nd, 2021Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on june 2nd, 2021
The Council of Ministers met, at the Ministry of Finance Auditorium, in Dili, and approved a draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes, for the establishment of a remuneration supplement for public administration workers who perform their professional activity in the prevention or control services of COVID-19, or in conditions of direct exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The value of the remuneration supplement attributed to frontline professionals will be set by Government Resolution and may vary according to the degree of risk to which the workers are subject. This draft Decree-Law will come into force on April 1st, 2021.
The Council of Ministers has approved the authorization for the celebration of an agreement, by the Minister of Finance, between the Government of Timor-Leste and the Government of Australia, regarding a direct financial contribution to support community resilience and economic recovery in Timor-Leste during the global pandemic of COVID-19. The Government of Australia will provide a direct financial contribution of 20 million Australian Dollars (approximately US$ 15.5 million) to support communities and improve their infrastructure, through the National Sucos Development Program (PNDS – Portuguese acronym), and to budget and implement the Bolsa Mãe Jerasaun Foun project.
The Council of Ministers has given full powers to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Social Communication, Francisco Martins da Costa Pereira Jerónimo, to negotiate the agreement with the Government of the People's Republic of China for the Second Phase of the Digital Television Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting (DTMB) System Project in Timor-Leste. The project started in 2019 and it is now intended to expand the project and increase the national coverage of digital terrestrial television with the installation of more broadcasting stations.
Lastly, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Joaquim Amaral, presented the political-legislative options underlying the Reform of the Licensing of Economic Activities. The set of proposals presented intend to address gaps and problems existing in the licensing of economic activities in order to improve the business environment, fundamental for national economic development. END - 01 of June of 2021Government of Timor-Leste and Partners Appeal for Us$32 Million to Assist Flood Victims and Early RecoveryGovernment of Timor-Leste - United Nationsmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Dili, Timor-Leste, 01 June 2021
Joint Press Release
Government of Timor-Leste and Partners Appeal for Us$32 Million to Assist Flood Victims and Early Recovery
Following the devastation caused by the floods in April that affected many families in the country, today the Government and humanitarian partners, including the United Nations, are launching a joint Appeal for US $32m to respond to residual humanitarian needs and assist with early the recovery process to December 2021.
The Government, together with humanitarian partners, officially launched a Joint Appeal to address the residual humanitarian needs for the most vulnerable affected people and assist with early-recovery efforts in Timor-Leste. The appeal requests US$32.7 million (US $8.8m for immediate needs and US$23.9 for short-term requirements) that will directly assist 65,000 people and indirectly benefit all flood-affected population. A multi-sectoral response, the appeal identifies priority activities to address critical gaps across 9 sectors: Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) and Emergency Shelter; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Gender and Protection; Food Security; Nutrition; Health; Education; Early Recovery and Livelihoods; and, Emergency Logistics.
The Government has allocated US$65.2 million through the Contingency Fund while the humanitarian partners including the United Nations, have so far committed US$10.7 million to support the response efforts. However, following the rapid assessments that have been completed, critical funding gaps still remain to meet the priority needs of the flood-affected communities and to kick-start the recovery process.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, H.E. Ms. Adaljiza Magno in her opening remarks stated that despite the significant efforts from the Government side to deliver the emergency needs to flood affected populations as well as increasing the contingency fund to implement short and long term programs to recover from the calamity, there are still considerable funding gap need to be filled. Therefore, H.E. Minister, on behalf of the government, calling upon for a voluntary contribution in order to help Timor-Leste to scale-up measures to recover from the catastrophic disaster.
The 2021 Timor-Leste Floods Response Plan will facilitate a coordinated by the Government and the humanitarian partners focusing on the next 7 months from end-May to end-December 2021 with the aim of supporting a sustainable recovery and helping lay the foundations for ‘Building Back Better’.
The plan was jointly developed by the Government of Timor-Leste with support from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and all humanitarian partners. A copy of the detailed Joint Appeal is available at www.timorleste.un.org/en/129347-joint-appeal-flood-response-plan-timor-leste. Under the Government leadership, more than 86 organisations – 9 UN agencies, 63 humanitarian partners, and 14 Ministries/Departments – will participate in the 7-month Joint Response Plan ending in December 2021.
The latest official figures, show that 33,835 households have been affected by the floods across all 13 municipalities, with 44 reported fatalities.
Extensive damages have been reported to houses, buildings (including health facilities and COVID-19 quarantine and isolation centres), public infrastructure and agricultural land. A total of 2,163 hectares of agricultural land have been affected, negatively impacting food security in the coming days.
This disaster comes when the country has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent months. The temporary displacement of people poses an increased threat to the further spread of COVID-19 and outbreak of other diseases.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Roy Trivedy emphasised that “it is imperative to speed up the delivery of assistance to Timor-Leste at this critical stage to prevent further loss of lives, additional damage to essential public services and infrastructure, and to stop the spread of diseases.” He also highlighted the fact that “this tragedy has hit at a time when the country is already struggling with the dangerous situation caused by COVID19.”
This Response Plan aims to directly target the humanitarian and early recovery needs of approximately 65,000 flood-affected people living with existing vulnerabilities. All flood-affected populations are expected to benefit directly and indirectly from the response, including rehabilitation of critical public infrastructure and restoration of essential services. In line with the Secretariat of State for Civil Protection’s Flood Response Strategy, the plan will prioritise support to those who remain in the evacuation centres, support the safe return and early recovery of those who were temporarily displaced and since returned to their communities. END
- 31 of May of 2021Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of May 31st, 2021Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of May 31st, 2021
The Council of Ministers met, in the Ministry of Finance Auditorium, in Dili, and approved the draft Government’s Resolution that renews the Declaration of the State of Calamity, for another 60 days, due to the occurrence of floods and inundations in the Dili Municipality, in the early morning of the April 4th, 2021, caused by the tropical cyclone Seroja.
After reviewing the presentation on the epidemiological situation of the country, gave by the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management (CIGC) coordinators, the Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Decree on the implementation measures of the State Emergency, made by the Decree of the President of the Republic no. 35/2021, May 28th, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Emergency, now renewed, covers the entire national territory and is in force between June 2nd, 2021, 12.00 am, and July 1st, 2021, 11.59 pm.
Concerning the enforcement measures of the previous Declaration of State of Emergency, there is only one change, establishing that individuals with certification of complete vaccination against COVID-19 may now move freely throughout the territory, including in municipalities covered by the imposition of sanitary fences and/or home confinement.
The remaining rules remain unchanged, namely the obligation of all individuals residing in Timor-Leste to keep a distance of, at least, three feet from other individuals with whom they do not live in common economy. They are also still obliged to wear a face mask that covers the nose and mouth when having access to or staying in public or private places of collective use and to wash their hands when entering commercial, industrial or service provision establishments or buildings where public administration services operate. Everyone is also obliged to avoid crowding in public places.
Draft Government Resolutions maintaining the imposition of sanitary fences in the municipalities of Bobonaro, Covalima and Dili for another 14 days and in the municipalities of Baucau and Viqueque for another seven days, were also approved..
Thus, the ban on the movement of persons between these municipalities and the other administrative districts is maintained, except in cases duly justified on grounds of public safety, public health, humanitarian assistance, maintenance of the public supply systems or the public interest.
The Council of Ministers also approved the draft Government Resolution that maintains the imposition of compulsory confinement in the Municipality of Dili for another 14 days.
In the Municipality of Dili, the imposition of general home confinement on all persons residing or presently in the Municipality of Dili also remains in place, except for the reasons already defined, namely for reasons of health, work, to access basic goods and services and to participate in religious celebrations and other religious events. There is only one change, with the authorization to citizens to leave their residences to carry out voter registration.
The CIGC officials, in their presentation, informed the members of the Council of Ministers that in the last 14 days, from May 17th to 30th, a total of 2,432 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered throughout the country, of which 2,043 in Dili, 131 in Bobonaro, 81 in Covalima, 55 in Baucau and 53 in Viqueque.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 6,615 people has been detected infected with the new Coronavirus. Currently there are 2,648 active cases throughout the country. The municipalities with more active cases are Dili, with 2.079, Baucau, with 179, Covalima, with 150, Bobonaro, with 126 and Viqueque, with 35.
Data relating to the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country were also presented. So far Timor-Leste has received 60 thousand doses of AstraZeneca vaccine provided by Australia and 24 thousand doses from the COVAX mechanism. Since the beginning of the vaccination campaign, last April 7th, a total of 76,582 people in the country have already received the first dose of the vaccine, which corresponds to 10% of the population over 18 years old. In the Dili municipality, 64,005 people have already been vaccinated, which corresponds to 30% of the population over 18 years old in the capital.
In addition to the batches of vaccine from Australia, 76,800 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine under the COVAX mechanism and 100,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine from China are expected to arrive at the beginning of June. END - 26 of May of 2021Meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 26th, 2021Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 26th, 2021
The Council of Ministers met in the Ministry of Finance Auditorium, in Dili, and approved the draft Decree-Law for the creation of the credit line "Ensinu Superior Kualidade +" destined to financial support to private higher education institutions, respective financial guarantee and interest subsidy, presented by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture, Longuinhos dos Santos. The purpose of this draft Decree-Law is to support accredited private higher education institutions in obtaining funding to improve conditions and infrastructures, as well as to increase the capacity of human resources. It also aims to increase the competitiveness and international recognition of higher education institutions, to foster the diversification of the offer of courses in priority areas and to promote the territorial decentralisation of higher education.
The draft Decree-Law approving the support measures for victims of serious accidents and disasters, presented by the Ministry of the Interior, was also approved. This draft Decree-Law aims to create a clear and robust legal framework for the State support to those victims, as well as the recovery process. The support provided for in this Decree-Law is granted to individuals who are affected by serious accidents or disasters and upon declaration of a situation of alert, contingency or calamity. The list of support that the Government may grant to people affected by serious accidents or disasters includes meals and water, foodstuffs, basic necessities for personal and domestic use, construction materials for house repair or reconstruction, a subsidy to support house repair and reconstruction works, death subsidy and psychosocial support.
After the analysis to the presentation of the coordinators of the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management, on the point of the epidemiological situation in Timor-Leste, the Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolutions that:
> Maintain the imposition of sanitary fences in the Municipalities of Baucau, Covalima and Dili until June 1st, 2021, 11:59 p.m.;
> Imposes sanitary fences in the Municipalities of Bobonaro and Viqueque between May 27th, 2021, 00:00 a.m. and June 1st, 2021, 11:59 p.m.;
> Maintain the imposition of mandatory home confinement in the Municipality of Dili until June 1st, 2021, 11:59 p.m.
Thus, the circulation of people between the municipalities of Baucau, Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili and Viqueque and the other administrative districts is prohibited, except in duly justified cases for reasons of public security, public health, humanitarian assistance, maintenance of the public supply systems or the pursuit of public interest.
In the Municipality of Dili the imposition of general home confinement of all persons residing or presently in the Municipality of Dili also remains in place, except for the reasons previously defined, namely for reasons of health, work and for access to basic goods and services. There is only one change, whereby collective religious celebrations and other collective worship events are now allowed, provided that those attending the ceremonies maintain a distance of at least one meter from third parties with whom they do not live in common economy and wear a face mask covering the nose and mouth.
The Council of Ministers watched a presentation on the Integrated Strategy for the Implementation of a Unique Identification System (Unique ID, IDU [Portuguese acronym]), by Roberto Caetano de Sousa Vicente, Executive Director of TIC Timor and President of the Eventual Technical Commission responsible for its preparation.
This strategy will be implemented between 2021 and 2025, with the first registration expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2022 and one million people registered by the end of 2025.
The Unique Citizen Identification System is part of the Public Administration Reform Programme and is the necessary basis to improve the effective delivery, efficiency and planning of public services and to ensure better management and coordination of social policy, while contributing to the structured construction of e-governance in Timor-Leste.
Unique ID will use a minimal set of digital data establishing a digital identity, to which a randomly generated unique identification number will be assigned. It has a minimum set of biographical information, such as name, date of birth and place of birth and this information is used only to meet identity proofing and compliance needs, such as enrolment for government services and payments and opening a bank account. Biometric information will also be used, for people over the age of 13, to establish the uniqueness of individuals and facilitate secure authentication of a unique identity.
Lastly, the Minister of Public Works, Salvador Soares dos Reis Pires and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Be'e Timor-Leste, E. P. (BTL, E.P.), Carlos Peloi dos Reis, presented the project to improve the drainage and sanitation infrastructures in Dili, which aims to address the problem of flooding and the current insufficient drainage capacity and lack of maintenance of infrastructures. With this project, the capacity of the existing infrastructures will be increased and retention basins will be built in strategic locations, in order to control the speed of the waters in cases of heavy rains. END - 19 of May of 2021Meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 19th, 2021Presidency of the Council of Ministersmore
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 19th, 2021
The Council of Ministers met in the Ministry of Finance, in Dili and approved the draft Decree-Law, regarding the extraordinary financial incentive to the Sucos, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho. This extraordinary financial compensation is attributed to the Sucos for the exceptional increase of work already done and to be done in the present and next months, and in recognition of the need and importance of the work done by the Sucos, in the interest and benefit of the Timorese State, both in the context of the pandemic situation and in the Government response to natural disasters.
The draft Agreement between the Timorese State and the Australian State for the Cooperation Project in the area of territorial administrative decentralization and local infrastructure development (PARTISIPA), to be implemented between July 1st, 2021 and June 30th, 2031, was approved. The Programme is country-wide in scale, with implementation elements at central and local level. PARTISIPA has three components, the first supporting the PNDS programme, the second building the capacity of municipal administrations and authorities, and the third component refers to improving infrastructure operations and maintenance.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Law Proposal for the sixth amendment to Law 7/2006, of December 28th, on the Electoral Law for the President of the Republic, also presented by the Minister of State Administration. This draft Law Proposal had already been subject to deliberation in the Meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 8th 2021, however due to the introduction of substantial changes in the final drafting phase, it became necessary to submit it to a new deliberation of the Council of Ministers. Given the upcoming presidential elections, this amendment aims to adapt to the current situation, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen the capacity building for a better response to citizens' needs. It is therefore intended to strengthen the formal requirements for candidacy, to clarify and organise the electoral process and to facilitate the conditions for citizens to exercise their right to vote.
The Council of Ministers examined and endorsed the proposal, presented by the Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes, for the segmentation of the Petroleum Fund, in Liquidity Portfolio and Growth Portfolio. The Liquidity Portfolio aims to ensure the funding of transfers to the General State Budget over the next three years, and should be invested in high liquidity and low risk assets. It is intended that the remaining value of the Fund be invested in the Growth Portfolio, in accordance with the investment rules set out in Law 9/2005 of August 3rd, the Petroleum Fund Law.
After the analysis of the country's epidemiological situation presentation, by the Situation Room of the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management, the Council of Ministers also deliberated to propose to His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Francisco Guterres Lú Olo, the state of emergency renewal, for more thirty days. Given the worrying evolution of the epidemiological situation and the proliferation of cases of COVID-19 contagion registered, and to prevent and neutralize the risks of spread of SARS-CoV-2, to protect public health and response capacity of the National Health System, the Government proposes to the President of the Republic that, with the renewal of the state of emergency, the suspension or restriction of some fundamental rights and guarantees may be allowed.
Timor-Leste has an accumulated total of 4765 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Of the 2238 currently active cases, 1851 are in Dili municipality, 128 in Baucau, 101 in Covalima and 75 in Viqueque. The national incidence rate is 13.8/100,000 and in Dili it is 42.5/100,000. So far 3.3% of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19. In the first phase about 28,600 people were vaccinated and in the second phase, since May 10th, 20,094 people have received the vaccine.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, which defines the objectives for the vaccination campaign and guidelines to ensure compliance with the preventive measures in place. The Government Resolution defines as an objective to reach, in the vaccination campaign, a number of 5,000 vaccinated per day, directing the relevant departments to create the necessary mechanisms to accelerate the pace of vaccination. It also directs all Government departments to approve the necessary internal regulations to ensure compliance with the preventive measures in place in the internal operation of services and in public attendance. Finally, partial or complete vaccination is defined as a relevant criterion to be adopted by the public administration in determining which employees are to work face-to-face.
Finally, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Joaquim Amaral, made a presentation on the situation of Timor-Leste's accession process to the World Trade Organization (WTO). At this moment, Timor-Leste holds the status of observer country and is in the process of negotiating the accession process to the WTO, to join the 164 countries that are already part of the organization. The WTO regulates the rules of trade between countries, with the objective of guaranteeing that all commercial activities are carried out in the easiest, freest and most predictable way possible. The Government of Timor-Leste, through the negotiating team led by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs is preparing to participate in the second High Level Negotiating Meeting of the WTO Working Group to be held in July 2021. END - 18 of May of 2021Prime Minister presents condolences to the families of the victims of the recent boat accidentavailable soonmore
