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The Government of Timor-Leste offered a plot of land and a building in the Farol neighbourhood of Díli for the establishment of the Embassy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, while the Government of Laos provided a plot of land in Vientiane for Timor-Leste’s diplomatic representation in that country. 

The handover ceremony took place on January 20^th, 2026, during the official visit of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Phongsamouth Anlavan, to Dili, between January 18^th and 21^st. It reflects the principle of reciprocity that has characterised bilateral relations between Dili and Vientiane.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio Hornai; the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Jorge Camões; the Director-General for Bilateral Affairs in Asia and Oceania, Elisa Maria da Silva; the Director-General for ASEAN Affairs; and other leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, as well as members of the diplomatic corps.

During the visit, Vice Minister Phongsamouth Anlavan highlighted the more than 20 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and considered the establishment of the Lao Embassy in Dili in the short term a concrete result of this cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2002, Timor-Leste and Laos have held high-level exchanges, signed bilateral agreements, and promoted cooperation between their peoples.

The Lao Government also praised Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN last year, emphasising that establishing embassies in Member States is mandatory within the regional organisation.

Currently, ASEAN Member States that have already established their embassies in Dili include Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Myanmar, with Laos in the process of completing its establishment. Timor-Leste has already established its embassies in the other ten ASEAN Member States.

The Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Rural Development and Community Housing, Mariano Assanami Sabino, accompanied by the President of the Administrative Authority of Ataúro, Mateus Belo, launched the Rural Development and Community Revitalisation Program on January 17^th, 2026 at a ceremony in the Village (Suco) of Beloi, with the aim of supporting community economic initiatives and strengthening the local economy. 

The Community Revitalisation Programme is being implemented in three target Hamlets on the island of Ataúro: Usobemasu in Village (Suco) Beloi; Eklae in Village (Suco) Vila-Maumeta; and Fatulela in Village (Suco) Makili. These Hamlets comprise six community groups, mainly engaged in fishing, livestock farming, and water tourism.

In the fisheries sector, the Fitun Laloran group has prepared a vessel to support fishing activities. A snorkelling group has acquired a boat and diving equipment to rent to visitors interested in the marine ecosystem. In the livestock sector, the Naroma group is involved in pig and poultry farming. The Rental Motor group provides motorbike rental services to visitors travelling around the island.

During the ceremony, the Vice Prime Minister encouraged group members to maintain their commitment and ensure proper management of activities to secure sustainable returns, improve family finances, and promote the emergence of small local entrepreneurs. He also emphasised the need to protect the land and marine environment to preserve the island’s natural beauty and maintain its tourist appeal, thereby ensuring positive economic impacts for Ataúro.

Mariano Assanami Sabino also noted that Ataúro is a priority for the Government, which will continue to invest in the local economy and basic infrastructure. He highlighted progress in the road network, which now provides access to previously isolated communities that were only connected by sea, and the potential for religious and nature tourism, associated with the sea, coral reefs, and natural landscapes.

The following day, the Vice Prime Minister, in his capacity as Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs, also visited two Christian churches under construction on the island of Ataúro, which are receiving financial support from the Office for Civil Society Support, an institution under his supervision.

The Minister of Public Works, Samuel Marçal, made a working visit to Japan between January 13^th to 19^th, 2026 to strengthen the national response to flood control and natural disaster prevention through technical and institutional exchanges with Japanese entities specialising in these areas. 

The visit included a delegation comprising the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Public Works, Cristóvão Fausto Guterres; the Director-General of Roads, Bridges, and Flood Control, Nene Lobato; and the Coordinator of the Inspection, Verification, and Payment Unit, Aleixo Amaral do Carmo. It was accompanied by the Ambassador of Timor-Leste in Tokyo, Maria Terezinha da Silva Viegas.

On January 13^th, the delegation visited the headquarters of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and met with Yoshifumi Yoshikawa, the organisation’s Senior Vice President. The meeting included a technical presentation on Japan’s experience in flood control and integrated watershed management, as well as an exchange of views on potential areas of technical cooperation to support the strengthening of Timor-Leste’s institutional capacities in this field.

In the context of disaster risk reduction, the Minister also met with representatives of the Japan BOSAI Platform, who presented technologies, strategies, and best practices developed by Japanese entities to prevent and mitigate natural disasters. The main challenges facing Timor-Leste were also discussed.

The programme continued on January 14^th with a visit to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), where the delegation participated in a technical session on Japan’s historical evolution and current policies on flood control, sediment management and flood disaster response. On the same day, a meeting was held between the Minister of Public Works of Timor-Leste and the Japanese Minister responsible for MLIT, Sasaki Hajime, to discuss technical cooperation on flood and sediment control projects.

On January 15^th, January, the Minister paid a courtesy visit to the Hyōgo Prefectural Government headquarters, where he attended a technical session at the Prefectural Disaster Management Center and was briefed on flood-control measures for rivers with characteristics similar to those in Dili, as well as initiatives to mitigate landslide risks.

On January 16^th, the delegation visited the Rokko Sabo Office, a Japanese government service dedicated to sediment control and natural disaster prevention, particularly landslides, debris flows, and flash floods. The visit included a presentation on mitigation systems and technical visits to infrastructure, including retention dams designed to reduce the impact of natural disasters.

On January 19^th, technical meetings were held within the scope of MLIT, including visits to the Arakawa Floodway system, an artificial canal built in the early 20th century to divert the Arakawa River from central Tokyo to Tokyo Bay, protecting the city from flooding, as well as other water flow control infrastructure. A working session was also held with JICA experts to set priorities for interventions on rivers with a history of recurrent flooding in Timor-Leste.

This working visit allowed the Ministry of Public Works to deepen its technical and institutional knowledge of models and solutions applied in Japan and to discuss possibilities for technical and institutional cooperation with the entities visited, with a view to strengthening national capacities in flood control and natural disaster prevention.

 

Presidency of the Council of Ministers

Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste

Ninth Constitutional Government

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Media Statement by the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

On the Entry into Force of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)

On 17 January 2026, the third Implementing Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) entered into force.

This landmark Agreement represents a major milestone in global multilateral efforts to address longstanding gaps in the international legal and regulatory framework governing the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. These areas, which include the high seas and the international seabed area, comprise over 60 per cent of the world’s oceans and host more than 90 per cent of the habitat on Earth.

The BBNJ Agreement will also contribute to addressing the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It supports the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to ocean protection, climate action and international cooperation.

Importantly, the Agreement stands as a historic achievement for developing countries and small island developing States. It reflects their collective leadership in shaping international law, promoting equity and levelling the playing field, particularly by ensuring that all States can benefit from the sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and increase their capacity to participate.

Timor-Leste was among the first countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to ratify the BBNJ Agreement. The draft National Parliament’s Resolution for Timor-Leste’s ratification to the BBNJ Agreement  was approved on7 August 2024 by the Council of Ministers, and on 17 September 2024 by the National Parliament. This commitment was formally announced by the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste during the United Nations General Assembly.

Timor-Leste believes that the Agreement is vital to strengthening global ocean governance and will contribute to addressing key global challenges, including marine pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. It also provides an important pathway for fostering sustainable economic development and enhancing international and regional cooperation. These objectives are fully aligned with Timor-Leste’s Blue Economy Policy and Action Plan for the Promotion of a Resilient and Sustainable Economy of the Sea (2025–2035), which was adopted in principle in June 2025. The Blue Economy Policy and Action Plan sets out strategic objectives as well as concrete actions and plans for short, medium and long term in order to diversify Timor-Leste’s economy and achieve sustainable development.

As background, the BBNJ Agreement establishes a comprehensive framework governing:

• The use of marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits;
• Area-based management tools, including marine protected areas;
• Environmental impact assessments; and
• Capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology.

To date, more than 80 countries have ratified the Agreement, and 145 countries have signed it. END

Presidency of the Council of Ministers

Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste

Ninth Constitutional Government

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Press Release

Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 21st 2026

The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft Resolution of the National Parliament to ratify the memorandum of understanding between the Governments of Australia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on technical cooperation for development.

The main objective of this Memorandum of Understanding is to provide a framework for technical cooperation between the two Governments, establishing a general framework for implementing development projects aligned with Timor-Leste’s national priorities. The agreement serves as a basis for implementing concrete technical assistance initiatives in areas considered priorities by the Timorese Government and in which Australia has relevant experience, thereby contributing to institutional capacity building, human resource development, and the promotion of self-sufficiency and sustainable national development.

The Memorandum also sets out the principles and mechanisms for cooperation, including technical missions, scholarships and training activities, the secondment of experts, the provision of equipment, and the implementation of joint projects, as well as the applicable regime for coordination, monitoring, and administrative facilitation, thereby enabling the effective and structured implementation of technical cooperation for development between Timor-Leste and Australia.

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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law for the first amendment to Decree-Law No. 75/2023, of September 15^th, on the organic law for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, presented by Minister Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu.

The main objective of this decree-law is to reorganise the Ministry of Transport and Communications’ internal services, with a view to achieving a more efficient and productive distribution of powers and tasks within the sector.

The measures now approved include the abolition of the current Directorate-General for Transport and Communications and the creation of two separate directorates-general — the Directorate-General for Transport and the Directorate-General for Communications —, as well as the creation of the Air Incident and Accident Investigation Office and the Digitalisation and Cybersecurity Office, to strengthen the provision of public services in these expanding areas.

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The draft Decree-Law, also presented by Minister Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu, establishing the fees payable for acts and services of the Public Administration relating to motor vehicles and their drivers, was approved.

The law defines and clarifies the fee regime applicable to acts and services provided by the Public Administration in the road sector, ensuring that the services provided correspond to their respective costs. Among other things, it covers procedures for registration, vehicle inspection, the issuance of titles and licences, as well as driving tests and documents.

The Decree-Law also establishes the rules for collecting fees, identifying taxpayers, and permitting collection by third parties, under the terms defined by law, revoking the previous regime and providing for entry into force 30 days after its publication.

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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Decree, also presented by Minister Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu, on the regulation of the allocation of registration numbers and the issuance and display of registration plates for motor vehicles and their trailers.

The draft Government Decree sets out the rules for determining registration numbers and for the configuration, issuance, renewal, and display of the respective plates for all motor vehicles and their trailers, defining the different types of registration, their structure, and the identification codes of the administrative divisions of the territory.

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Lastly, Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs Milena Maria da Costa Rangel gave a presentation to the Council of Ministers on Timor-Leste’s participation in the 2026 ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (ASEAN SOM), to be held on January 28^th, 2026, and the ASEAN Ministers of Foreign Affairs Retreat (AMM Retreat) under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together,” scheduled for January 29^th, 2026, both in Cebu, Philippines.

The presentation focused on the key topics to be discussed at these meetings, highlighting the priorities of the Philippine ASEAN Chairmanship for 2026, the follow-up to the decisions of recent ASEAN Summits, and an analysis of the organisation’s external relations, as well as regional and international issues affecting regional peace, security, and stability.

Regarding Timor-Leste, it was emphasised that these meetings are particularly important in the post-accession context, marking the transition to full and active participation within ASEAN. The commitment to ensuring harmonious integration was also highlighted through strengthening institutional coordination, preparing national mechanisms, and constructive involvement in the political, security, and diplomatic processes of the regional organisation. END

9.00 am, Government Palace

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