Government of Timor-Leste

On November 14^th, 2024, the Vice Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, opened the International Seminar of the Authority for Inspection and Supervision of Economic, Sanitary and Food Activity (AIFAESA – acronym in Portuguese), held at the Hotel Timor in Dili. 

Under the theme “AIFAESA's Role in Guaranteeing Product Quality for Consumers”, the event brought together national and international experts, development partners, representatives of government organisations and students to discuss strategies for ensuring the quality and safety of food products on the national market. 

During his opening speech, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay emphasised the importance of AIFAESA as a critical institution in guaranteeing public health and protecting consumer rights. “AIFAESA does a crucial job. This seminar addresses a strong theme: the quality of food sold on the country's market must be excellent to protect consumers and promote public health”, he said. 

AIFAESA's Inspector General, Odete da Silva Viegas, also emphasised the organisation's fundamental role in supervising and overseeing products made available on the market, ensuring compliance with standards by economic operators and consumer safety. “This seminar aims to reinforce collective efforts to protect consumer rights, raise awareness of global food safety trends and strengthen coordination between sectoral organisations to meet future challenges”, she said. 

The event featured interventions from various international speakers, including representatives from Indonesia's National Food and Drug Control Agency (Badan POM), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), who shared international perspectives on food safety. National speakers from AIFAESA, INSP-TL, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, the Ministry of Health and the Women's Business Association of Timor-Leste also contributed reflections relevant to the local context.

The seminar ended with a message from the AIFAESA Inspector General, who reiterated the institution's commitment to intensifying inspections, ensuring regulatory compliance, and protecting consumers' health and rights.