Government of Timor-Leste

The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Leite Magalhães, met today, September 28^th, 2020, with the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Timor-Leste, Andrew Jacobs, to analyse the Government’s priority areas, to be included in the first draft of the new cooperation agreement between the EU and Timor-Leste, which should be finalized by the end of the year.

After a first meeting, which took place on June 9^th, 2020, also in the preparation of the cooperation agreement context, this meeting addressed the European Union's readiness to support Timor-Leste in the process of economic diversification and recovery of the green economy, a movement in favour of a post-coronavirus recovery that reinforces the established agenda of transition to a new socio-economic model that is climatically neutral, resilient, sustainable and inclusive.

The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers highlighted as the Government’s priorities in the short and medium-term, the employment, the energy sources’ diversification, namely with solar and hydropower, the connection of optic fibre cable, which is expected to be ready in the next 18 months, and the creation of the Citizen’s Unique Identifier System, which constitutes the necessary basis to improve the effective delivery, efficiency and planning of public services and to ensure the best management and coordination of social policies, while allows to contribute to the structured construction of e-government in Timor-Leste.

Fidelis Magalhães explained the ongoing major institutional reforms coordination and implementation’ process, where the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers assists the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, in the overall coordination of these reforms, and especially the Public Administration Reform process, of which he is responsible, and which aims to transform public administration, focusing on central power structures, seeking to improve service delivery processes, strengthen accountability and performance incentives, improve human resources management and development, review public administration functions and structures and to improve administrative services provided to citizens and businesses.