Government of Timor-Leste

The Government of Timor-Leste, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MNEC), held a seminar on "Timor-Leste's Strategy and Actions for Sustainable ASEAN Membership: Human Development, Sustainability and Economic Growth". The event, organised by human resources development specialist Bob Audrey, took place in the MNEC's Salão Nobre and was attended by members of the 9th Constitutional Government, government officials, representatives of the private sector and civil society. 

The event took place in the MNEC's Salão Nobre and was attended by members of the 9th Constitutional Government, government officials and representatives of the private sector and civil society. 

The seminar, which started from the state of play of implementing the ASEAN accession roadmap, aimed to promote a comprehensive discussion on the intrinsic relationship between economic growth and human development. Crucial factors for self-sustainable progress were identified, and the prioritisation of human development as an essential path to sustainable economic growth was emphasised. 

At the seminar’s opening, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Agio Pereira, emphasised the importance of the initiative conceived by the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, and thanked the members of the government and civil society for their participation.

Agio Pereira also addressed the process of preparing Timor-Leste for full membership of ASEAN and introduced Bob Aubrey, a specialist in human resource development, who is collaborating with the government of Timor-Leste to formulate strategies and policies for the development of human capital, especially in the context of future membership of ASEAN. 

Bob Aubrey is the founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Human Development Organisation of ASEAN (HDO-ASEAN), the first organisation in ASEAN to serve the community of human development professionals and which works with companies and organisations to define human development strategies.

During the seminar, the "Futuru Lider ba ASEAN" ("Future Leaders for ASEAN") programme was presented, a large-scale leadership acceleration initiative for Timor-Leste as part of the ASEAN accession process. This programme, which will be led by the Vice-Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Maria da Costa Rangel, was designed by Bob Audrey with the support of the ASEAN Human Development Organisation and the Timor-Leste Human Development Organisation. 

The "Futuru Lider ba ASEAN" will be conducted as a programme under the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP) and will include various activities led by experts in Timor-Leste and ASEAN countries. The main objective of this programme is to promote the development of leaders capable of understanding and collaborating with ASEAN, to accelerate the flow of leadership to bring it into line with ASEAN standards and to ensure that Timor-Leste's leaders match up to their counterparts in ASEAN countries.

At the seminar's closing, the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, emphasised the importance of developing and strengthening the capacities of national human resources, especially in preparing for ASEAN's full membership.