Government of Timor-Leste

The Government signed a Cooperation Protocol with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste (CCI-TL in Portuguese), following a presentation made at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 17^th.  The State’s institutions responsible for Economy, Finance and Trade represented the Government in the protocol which aims to promote the country’s social and economic development by encouraging business activity.

“It is important that Government collaborates with CCI-TL as this is a vital link with the private sector”, said the Minister of State, Coordinator of Economic Affairs, Estanislau da Silva. “This agreement promotes the development of the private sector, at the same time as it encourages the sustainable development of our nation and prepares us for the accession of Timor-Leste to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to the World Trade Organization.”

The Vice Minister of Finance, Hélder Lopes explained “through this agreement, the Government ensures that the private sector is aware of the Government’s economic and fiscal reform measures. This agreement allows us to communicate with the companies in a clear and efficient way, helping to make Timor-Leste more attractive for investment”.

The President of CCI-TL, Oscar Lima, highlighted the use “of our network of contacts at the municipal level by the Government”, aiming to improve communications and encourage the exchange of information with the Government on various issues. He said “this agreement also helps us to identify priority areas to be supported by the Government, aiming to the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as ways of helping our companies to adapt to the new measures flowing from economic and fiscal reforms”.

One area covered by the Protocol is training activities, seminars and studies, for CCI-TL and its members, aiming to improve entrepreneurship and to encourage the participation of women in the private sector.