Government of Timor-Leste

The 8th Constitutional Government held, on October 21^st, 2022, a retreat of the members of the Government, in the Noble Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The retreat focused especially on the readjustment of the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 (SDP). This readjustment process began in June 2021 and has been ongoing to date.   

This retreat was led by the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, and included presentations on various issues related to national development planning in Timor-Leste.

During this retreat, the Interministerial Commission for readjustment of the SDP, together with the Ministry of Planning and Territory (MPO – Portuguese acronym) gave a presentation on the Draft of the Readjusted Strategic Development Plan 2023-2038 (PED-R 23-38 – Portuguese acronym), prepared by the technical team of the Centre for Integrated Planning (CPI – Portuguese acronym).

This Draft of the Readjusted Strategic Development Plan was undertaken by the CPI through an extended process that included: (i) analysis of the development plan documents (National Development Plan "Vision 2020"; Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030; 8^th Constitutional Government Program; Sustainable Development Goals 2030; and Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals); (ii) specialized technical discussions; (iii) discussion with Ministerial lines; (iv) consultation with stakeholders, including the President of the Republic, the President of the National Parliament, the President of the Court of Appeal, former holders of the Sovereign Bodies, representatives of the Catholic Church and leaders of religious denominations, the academic community and civil society (including women's groups, youth groups, and groups of vulnerable people); (v) public consultations in the 12 municipalities and the RAEOA; and (vi) a survey on national development progress, challenges, and priorities.

The second presentation by the Interministerial Commission and the MPO was about the Framework Law on Strategic Planning, which aims to create a proposed legal framework to regulate the planning process for all economic and social development in Timor-Leste. This new legal framework will bind all relevant entities for planning and the strategic plans that will be prepared and approved in the future, to lead to the integrated development of the territory at national, regional, municipal, and village levels.

On the same occasion, the Ministry of Planning and Territory also gave a presentation on the National Model for Territory Planning (MNOT- Portuguese acronym). The MNOT will develop the Plan for National Territory Planning (PNOT- Portuguese acronym) as an instrument that will establish the major options for the organization and development of the national territory, through the definition of the urban system, transport networks, infrastructures and equipment of national interest and the productive specialization of space model, according to its characteristics and potential.

The Interministerial Commission for the Readjustment of the Strategic Development Plan was established by the 8th Constitutional Government, through Government Resolution No. 81/ 2021, of June 21^st, with a mandate to carry out the Readjustment of the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030, to ensure that the strategies adopted are subject to national consensus, for this Plan to function as an instrument of national projection and to guarantee national cohesion and stability, and to ensure strict compliance with the program so that the strategic objectives can be achieved.

This Commission is led by the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, and comprises the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Territory, the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, the Minister of State Administration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. All the technical services are headed the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Territory, José Maria dos Reis.

The 8th Constitutional Government has readjusted the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 because it is aware that the implementation of the National Development Plan 2002-2020 'Vision 2020' and the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 has achieved some progress, namely double-digit economic growth, poverty reduction and infrastructure development. However, the economy is still very dependent on the oil sector and the problems of multidimensional poverty and inequality are also still very much in evidence. Another important factor that led the 8th Constitutional Government to carry out this readjustment was the result of the independent evaluation of the implementation of the 2011-2030 Strategic Development Plan, which revealed that some of the targets set in the 2011-2030 Strategic Development Plan were not achieved within the planned deadlines, and other targets are no longer relevant, due to changes that have occurred in society and the world, such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.