Speech by H. E. the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão
Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão Auditorium, Ministry of Finance
1 October 2026
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The Government of Timor-Leste and the Government of the Republic of Cuba signed, on September 29th, 2026, in Dili, a declaration extending the validity of the Cooperation Agreement in the Field of Health—signed in Havana on September 22nd, 2022—for an additional year.
The declaration was signed by the Vice-Minister for Institutional Strengthening of Health, José dos Reis Magno, in his capacity as Acting Minister of Health, and by the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Timor-Leste, Grisel Alina Aldama Inniss, thereby enabling the continuation of cooperation in the areas of medical assistance, specialised training, human resources development, knowledge transfer, and the strengthening of health services.
Cooperation between Timor-Leste and Cuba in the health sector dates back to 2003, following a meeting between the two countries’ leaders, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and Fidel Castro, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since then, this cooperation has included the deployment of Cuban health professionals to Timor-Leste and the training of Timorese doctors and other health professionals. The programme, initially established to train 1,000 Timorese doctors, has exceeded that goal, having contributed to the training of more than 1,500 doctors, according to data recently presented by the Cuban mission in Timor-Leste.
The presence of Cuban doctors and nurses in Timor-Leste has contributed to the provision of healthcare to the population—including primary healthcare and hospital services—and to the sharing of knowledge and experience with Timorese health professionals.
Specialised training remains a key area of this cooperation. In September of this year, 26 Timorese health professionals returned to the country after completing specialised training in Cuba, including 24 doctors and two nurses. The training covered fields such as paediatrics, radiology, oncology, cardiology, otolaryngology, psychiatry, pathological anatomy, rehabilitation medicine, and emergency and intensive care.
These professionals have been integrated into various National Health Service facilities, including the Guido Valadares National Hospital and referral hospitals in the municipalities, to strengthen the country’s capacity to provide specialised care and to support the transfer of knowledge among health professionals.
The Ambassador also highlighted Cuba’s readiness to continue training medical specialists and to develop this aspect of cooperation in Timor-Leste further.
The ceremony was also attended by the National Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Health, officials from the Office of Health Policy, Planning, Partnership, and Development, and, on the Cuban side, the Coordinator of the Cuban Medical Brigade in Timor-Leste.
The extension of the Agreement preserves the institutional framework for ongoing bilateral cooperation in the health sector, with a focus on medical assistance, specialised training, and the development of healthcare human resources.
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 30th, 2025
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and resolved to endorse the Timor-Leste State Report on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) 2022–2026, concerning human rights, presented by the Minister for Justice, Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai.
The report outlines Timor-Leste’s key human rights progress from 2022 to 2026, and the measures taken to follow up on recommendations from the previous Universal Periodic Review cycle. The document will be submitted to the United Nations on October 9th, 2026, as part of the Human Rights Council’s mechanism, which periodically assesses the human rights situation in Member States.
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In accordance with the proposals presented by the Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, the Council of Ministers resolved to authorise expenditure from the General State Budget under Programme A18 for the implementation of the Tasi Mane Project on the South Coast, in the amounts of US$22.84 million and US$13.57 million, and to launch the respective procurement procedures through a public tender.
The expenditure is intended for the procurement of project management and supervision services, covering the Suai Supply Base and the Centre of Excellence in Oil and Gas Science and Technology, as well as for the construction works on the motorway between Zumalai and Natarbora, on the Uma Berloic–Natarbora section, and for the access road between the motorway and the industrial cluster area.
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The Council of Ministers has approved the draft Government Resolution on the appointment of members of the Supervisory Board of the public corporation Bee Timor-Leste (BTL, EP) for a four-year term.
Following a joint proposal by the members of the Government responsible for the water and sanitation and finance sectors, João Amaral has been appointed as Chair of the Supervisory Board. Francisco da Conceição Guterres and Ângelo Barreto were also appointed as members, given their respective personal and professional expertise, as well as the integrity, impartiality, and experience required to carry out their duties.
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The Council of Ministers has decided to grant full powers to the Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs and Minister for Tourism and the Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, to sign, on behalf of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Digital Economy (DEFA), and to the Minister for Trade and Industry, Nino Pereira, to sign, also on behalf of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Competition (AFAC).
The DEFA aims to promote an integrated digital economy within ASEAN by harmonising standards and procedures amongst Member States, covering areas such as e-commerce and electronic payments, digital identity, data protection, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
The AFAC establishes a regional framework for cooperation on competition matters, based on the fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory application of relevant rules, and on strengthening competition authorities and cooperation between Member States.
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Lastly, the Council of Ministers approved the 2027 General State Budget draft (2027 GSB), presented by the Minister for Finance, Santina José Rodrigues F. Viegas Cardoso, with a total consolidated amount of US$ 2,568,500,000. The budget allocates US$ 2,487 million to the Central Government and US$ 56.1 million to the Oe-Cússe Ambeno Special Administrative Region (RAEOA). Social Security has a budget of US$ 186.55 million.
Under the motto “Strengthening Resilience through Transformation: Diversifying the Economy for a Sustainable Future”, the 2027 GSB continues the priorities set out in the Programme of the 9th Constitutional Government and in the 2011–2030 Strategic Development Plan. The proposal combines the continuity of essential public services with investments and reforms aimed at strengthening productive capacity, creating jobs, improving the population’s living conditions and reducing the economy’s vulnerability to external shocks.
Among the key measures set out in the 2027 GSB, the following are particularly noteworthy:
• the development of the oil and mineral resources sectors, with an additional allocation of US$ 244.8 million for the policy priorities approved for 2027;
• the strengthening of education and health services, with allocations of US$ 194.2 million and US$ 182.6 million, respectively, to the Central Administration and the RAEOA, in accordance with the functional classification of expenditure;
• the continuity of the electricity supply, through a transfer of US$ 127.4 million to EDTL, E.P., which also supports the expansion of generation capacity at Oe-Cússe Ambeno and the solar power station at Ataúro;
• the continuation of support for National Liberation Fighters and vulnerable families, including US$ 156.2 million for the recognition and support of veterans, combatants, and martyrs, and US$ 11.7 million for mothers and children, primarily through the Bolsa da Mãe (Mother’s Allowance) programme;
• funding for school meals through local authorities, with an allocation of US$ 24.7 million, covering primary and pre-school education;
• strengthening fiscal equity and sub-national governance, with an additional allocation of US$ 17.3 million, aimed at supporting decentralisation and the delivery of public services across the country;
• funding for election-related needs and commitments relating to ASEAN, with an additional allocation of US$ 27.5 million;
• strengthening public order and security, with an additional allocation of US$ 13.6 million;
• promoting economic diversification through initial funding of US$ 8.8 million for niche tourism priorities and US$ 6 million for fisheries, supporting the preparation of interventions and capacity building in these sectors;
• strengthening the domestic revenue system with an additional allocation of US$ 5 million, as part of measures aimed at improving revenue mobilisation;
• and the reduction of inefficiencies in public spending, with projected savings of US$ 53.6 million across 62 organisations, as well as the reorientation of the Infrastructure Fund, with projected savings of US$ 51.6 million in 2027.
The preparation of the 2027 GSB also builds on stronger medium-term planning, with estimates for 2027 to 2031 that identify the costs of continuing existing policies and services and allow the Government’s new priorities to be analysed separately. This approach aims to improve resource allocation, increase expenditure predictability, and strengthen results assessment, while maintaining the annual nature of budgetary authorisation, in accordance with Law No. 3/2025 of April 23rd, on the Framework for the General State Budget and Public Financial Management. END