Government of Timor-Leste

The Office of the Vice-Minister for ASEAN Affairs held an induction session on 27 January 2025 for the approved candidates of the Second Cohort of the Futuru Líder ba ASEAN (FLBA - Future ASEAN Leaders) programme. 

In her opening speech, the Vice-Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Rangel, emphasised the importance of investing in future leaders to contribute to Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN, national development, and regional stability.

The FLBA programme, funded by the Government of Timor-Leste and implemented under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, is a strategic 12-month project designed to empower young leaders through leadership training, immersion experiences in ASEAN countries, and action-learning projects focused on Timor-Leste’s strategic development.

For the programme’s second cohort, nearly 500 young people, aged between 23 and 37 and from diverse sectors — public, private, civil society, and academia — submitted applications. A rigorous selection process resulted in the approval of 100 participants, ensuring gender balance (50% women and 50% men) and representation from all sectors. 

The induction session marks the beginning of a journey that includes intensive leadership training, workshops, a 10-day immersion experience in an ASEAN country, and the continuation of action-learning projects. These projects, initiated during the first cohort, aim to provide innovative solutions to the challenges faced by Timor-Leste.

The second cohort of the programme is expected to be officially launched in early February 2025, with an event that will also include the awarding of certificates to participants from the first cohort.

Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão highlighted, at the launch of the programme’s first cohort, that “the development of Timor-Leste depends more than ever on our human resources and the empowerment of our human potential. That is why we are investing in the next generation of leaders.”