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On September 29th, 2026, at the Government Palace in Dili, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, received the Executive Director of the Chega! National Centre and Chair of the Timor-Leste Memory of the World Committee, Hugo Fernandes, accompanied by the President of the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI) and Chair of the Indonesian National Memory of the World Committee, Mego Pinandito, for a presentation on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme and initiatives to preserve and promote Timor-Leste’s documentary heritage.
The meeting provided an opportunity to present to Minister Agio Pereira the work carried out and the initiatives planned under the Memory of the World Programme, as well as the cooperation among the Chega! National Centre, the Timor-Leste Memory of the World Committee, ANRI, and UNESCO to strengthen national capacities for the conservation, organisation, and digitisation of documentary heritage; support the identification of documentation with potential for recognition under the Programme; and continue preserving and promoting Timor-Leste’s historical memory.
Established by UNESCO in 1992, the Memory of the World Programme promotes the preservation of access to, and recognition of documentary heritage of historical and cultural significance at national, regional, and international levels.
Cooperation between Timor-Leste and Indonesia in this area has included the exchange of experiences and knowledge on document preservation and the Memory of the World Programme’s mechanisms, as well as training initiatives in archival organisation, conservation, restoration, and digitisation, with the participation of the Chega! National Centre, the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia, and UNESCO.
This work supports the capacity-building efforts of the Chega! National Centre, which opened its new Archives Centre in June 2026 to preserve and provide access to documentation on Timor-Leste’s recent history and the work of the Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation.
The Director-General of the National Archives of Timor-Leste, Fernando Moura; the National Director of the National Archives of Timor-Leste, Elizeu A. da C. Soares; representatives of the National Commission of Timor-Leste for UNESCO and the Chega! National Centre; and members of the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia and the Embassy of Indonesia in Timor-Leste also attended the meeting.
The Civil Service Commission (CFP – acronym in Portuguese), in cooperation with the FALINTIL–Timor-Leste Defence Forces (F-FDTL – acronym in Portuguese), held the official opening ceremony for the second phase of Character-Building Training on September 28th, 2026, in Letefoho, Ermera Municipality. The training, aimed at strengthening discipline, integrity, accountability, and ethics in public service, was for 176 employees from ministries and public institutions.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai; the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jesuína Maria Ferreira Gomes; the President of the Civil Service Commission, Agostinho Letêncio de Deus; Brigadier General José da Costa Soares “TRIX”; representatives of the F-FDTL and the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL – acronym in Portuguese); the Vice President of Committee A of the National Parliament, António Verdial de Sousa; and the President of the Ermera Municipal Authority, José Martinho dos Santos Soares, together with other representatives of public institutions and local authorities.
Under the theme “Developing employees with strong character and integrity for the dignity and image of State institutions”, the training continues the first phase of the programme, which also included 176 staff members from ministries and public institutions.
In his opening remarks, the President of the Civil Service Commission emphasised that state-building requires, in addition to technical knowledge and skills, public servants with character, discipline, and a sense of responsibility. Agostinho Letêncio de Deus stated that character enables the reconciliation of democratic principles of freedom with the demands of discipline, respect for hierarchy, and quality of service in Public Administration.
The President of the CFP also highlighted that the programme seeks to instil in public servants, particularly discipline, dedication, and service to the State, values associated with the history of the national liberation struggle and the example of heroes and martyrs. In this context, the Civil Service Commission established cooperation with the F-FDTL to integrate these principles into training.
The Minister of Justice highlighted institutional cooperation in implementing the programme and its contribution to the development of State institutions by preparing public servants in terms of behaviour, capabilities, and the exercise of their duties.
The training includes modules on personal development, self-respect and respect for others, honesty, responsibility, communication, ethics, integrity, patriotism, and nationalism. The programme also addresses rights and duties in Public Administration, emphasising loyalty, obedience, confidentiality, attendance, and punctuality, as well as disciplinary procedures, applicable sanctions, and the consequences of misconduct in public office.
The programme also covers time management, Timor-Leste’s history, professionalism, resilience, and physical exercise. The training combines classroom sessions with practical fieldwork.
This initiative is part of broader efforts to reform and develop Public Administration, with a focus on consolidating a service culture grounded in responsibility, discipline, integrity, and respect for the principles that guide public service.
The Central Bank of Timor-Leste (BCTL) and Bank Indonesia (BI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Jakarta on September 25th, 2026, to strengthen cooperation on payment systems and digital financial innovation, and to lay the groundwork for developing payment connectivity between Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
The Governors of BCTL, Hélder Lopes, and Bank Indonesia, Destry Damayanti, signed the agreement within the framework of the Indonesia Digital Economy and Finance Festival and the Indonesia Fintech Summit and Expo 2026 (FEKDI x IFSE 2026), held in Jakarta from September 24th to 26th.
The Memorandum establishes a framework for cooperation in the areas of payment and settlement systems and digital financial innovation, including information sharing and the strengthening of institutional relations between the two central banks.
One of the agreement’s main objectives is to develop connectivity between Timor-Leste’s and Indonesia’s payment systems, including assessing a potential link to QRIS Cross-Border, Indonesia’s system for cross-border payments via QR codes.
Future interoperability is expected to enable users in both countries to make payments via their respective digital applications and compatible QR code systems, facilitating transactions related to trade, tourism, and mobility between Timor-Leste and Indonesia.
The agreement with Bank Indonesia continues the modernisation and regional integration of Timor-Leste’s payment system. On September 12th, BCTL officially launched the Timor Unique QR (TUQR), the national QR code standard for digital payments, designed to ensure interoperability across banks, financial institutions, fintech companies, and digital wallets.
TUQR is supported by Ti-Fast, BCTL’s instant payment system, and serves as the national foundation for future links with payment systems in other countries.
Also on September 12th, BCTL and the National Bank of Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Dili focused on digital payments and cross-border connectivity. On that occasion, the Governor of BCTL announced that a similar agreement with Indonesia was planned for the same month.
These initiatives are part of Timor-Leste’s regional financial integration process. In July this year, Governor Hélder Lopes met at ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta with the organisation’s Secretary-General, Kao Kim Hourn, to discuss, among other matters, regional financial integration, payment system connectivity, and financial inclusion.
QRIS Cross-Border already enables the Indonesian payment system to connect with systems in several partner countries. Indonesia’s experience allows users to make payments abroad using their domestic applications and enables visitors from partner countries to use their respective payment systems at participating merchants in Indonesia.
Implementing connectivity between Timor-Leste and Indonesia will now depend on developing the technical, regulatory, and operational mechanisms required for interoperability of their payment systems.
Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão received, on September 28th, 2026, at the Government Palace in Dili, a delegation from the United Nations Electoral Needs Assessment Mission (UN-NAM), which is in Timor-Leste at the Government’s request to assess the needs for international assistance in preparing for the next electoral cycle.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral; the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste, Funmi Balogun; the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Timor-Leste, Katyna Argueta; and Zoran Trajkovski of the Electoral Assistance Division of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, who is part of the Electoral Needs Assessment Mission.
The mission aims to identify the needs and modalities for electoral assistance to Timor-Leste, including technical and institutional support for the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE – acronym in Portuguese), the National Elections Commission (CNE – acronym in Portuguese), and civil society organisations.
Areas addressed include civic education, updating and biometric voter registration, preparations for voting by Timorese citizens abroad, and other procedures related to organising electoral processes. The Government and international partners will also continue discussions on the participation of international observers.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister argued that the presence of international observers should not be limited to Dili but should also extend to municipalities and local communities, to enable monitoring of the electoral process across different parts of the national territory.
The Minister of State Administration said that STAE will continue working with UNDP to prepare the necessary conditions for the upcoming elections and to define the modalities of cooperation with international partners.
Timor-Leste will hold presidential and local government elections in 2027, with parliamentary elections set for 2028.
The United Nations Electoral Needs Assessment Mission will continue consultations with national institutions to identify areas and mechanisms for international assistance in preparing for the upcoming elections.
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