Meeting on the Creation of the Order of Engineers of Timor-Leste
The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, met on September 5th, 2025, at the Government Palace in Dili, with the President of the Timorese Association of Civil Engineers (ATEC Portuguese acronyms), Benjamim Hopffer Martins, the Vice-President of the Portuguese Engineers Association (OEP), Jorge Marçal Liça, the President of the Central Region of the OEP, Isabel Cristina Gaspar Pestana da Lança, and national engineers to discuss the process of creating the Order of Engineers of Timor-Leste. The initiative, which is being developed with the support of the Portuguese Engineers Association, aims to provide the country with a regulatory structure for the profession, to strengthen quality, ethics, and the value of the engineering sector. 
During the meeting, Minister Agio Pereira highlighted the importance of the initiative, acknowledged the commitment of the entities involved, and expressed his support for the creation of the Order of Engineers of Timor-Leste.
The creation of the Order of Engineers of Timor-Leste follows the entry into force of Law No. 4/2022 of March 23rd, which establishes the Legal Regime for Public Professional Associations, and aims to provide the country with a regulatory framework for the engineering profession, in order to ensure high standards of quality, competence, and ethics in the practice of engineering. 
During the meeting, the importance of this process was emphasized in order to ensure the recognition of national engineers, protect the rights of professionals, and promote public confidence in the profession. The future Order will also make it possible to strengthen the quality of engineering education, ensure mechanisms for professional title attribution and regulation, encourage continuing education, and facilitate the mutual recognition of professionals, thus contributing to the improvement of the sector and the economic and social development of the country. 
The cooperation established with the Portuguese Engineers Association has enabled regular meetings to be held with the working group and the development of a proposal for statutes and admission regulations. The work in progress involves engineers from different specialties and institutions, with technical and legal support from the Portuguese Engineers Association and the Ministry of Public Works of Timor-Leste.
The Timorese Association of Civil Engineers, with the support of Timor-Leste Information, Communication, and Technology (ICTTL), is organizing a conference tomorrow, September 6, at the Novo Turismo Hotel in Dili to discuss the sector and the creation of the future Order of Engineers of Timor-Leste. END
