The Governments of Timor-Leste and Australia, along with the Property Council of Australia NT, have announced a partnership to deliver a four-day business program in Dili from 27 to 30 October, connecting Australian and Timorese business and government.
The combined program will be known as the Darwin to Dili Business & Investment Summit and Invest Timor-Leste 2026.
Invest Timor-Leste 2026 is supported by the Australian Government, in partnership with Timor-Leste’s Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, TradeInvest Timor-Leste, and the Timor-Leste Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Property Council spearheads the Business & Investment Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, with market briefings, senior industry speakers and site visits to businesses operating in Dili. Invest Timor-Leste opens with the Gala Dinner on Wednesday evening and the Invest Timor-Leste Business Forum on Thursday.
The Invest Timor-Leste Business Forum will bring Australian delegates together with Timorese companies through structured business to business matchmaking, and with Timorese government counterparts to discuss future opportunities and the enabling environment.
The program opens almost a year to the day after Timor-Leste joined ASEAN on 26 October 2025. Timor-Leste will chair ASEAN in 2029.
Property Council NT Executive Director Ruth Palmer said the program was built for outcomes.
“This is not a talkfest. This is about bringing the right people into the room to create real connections, real partnerships and real commercial outcomes,” Ms Palmer said.
“Northern Australia and Timor-Leste share geography, history and opportunity. This conference is about turning that proximity into practical partnerships.”
Timor-Leste’s Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, H.E. Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, said the program reflected Timor-Leste’s investment priorities.
“Timor-Leste is open for business. Our accession to ASEAN has widened our market and strengthened confidence in our economy, and in 2029 we will chair ASEAN. Australia is our trusted, close neighbour and a natural partner in tourism, agriculture and energy. We welcome this delegation to Dili, and we welcome serious partners.”
Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste Caitlin Wilson said the partnership reflected a maturing commercial relationship.
“Australia and Timor-Leste are close neighbours and close partners, and the commercial side of that relationship is growing. The Australian Government is pleased to support Invest Timor-Leste 2026. Bringing businesses together, with support from both governments, is one way that lasting commercial relationships are built.”
Timorese businesses taking part in the Invest Timor-Leste Business Forum and matchmaking are being engaged with the support of the Timor-Leste Chamber of Commerce and Industry and TradeInvest Timor-Leste, and will be supported through a readiness program ahead of October.
Australian businesses interested in attending, partnering or sponsoring are encouraged to contact the Property Council of Australia NT.
Darwin to Dili Business & Investment Summit and Invest Timor-Leste Business Forum 2026
DATES
27 to 30 October 2026
LOCATION
Dili, Timor-Leste
REGISTRATIONS
Australian businesses can register for the Darwin to Dili Business & Investment Summit via the Property Council of Australia website.
The Invest Timor-Leste Business Forum is invite-only, however interest can be registered via email to InvestTL@prosivu.tl.
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Speech by H. E. the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão
Dili Convention Centre
28 August 2026
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The Government of Timor-Leste and OceanX, a global nonprofit ocean exploration initiative, will convene the Timor-Leste OceanX Symposium: Science for a Blue Future on Friday, 28 August 2026, at the Dili Convention Centre.
The symposium will bring together government institutions, scientists, researchers and national and international partners to translate new scientific knowledge about Timor-Leste’s marine environment into practical action for sustainable Blue Economy development.
The symposium will focus on the preliminary findings and data from OceanX’s scientific mission to Timor-Leste in November 2025, with discussions centred on marine conservation, fisheries management, sustainable tourism and future marine research.
OceanX’s scientific mission was carried out in partnership with the Government and national and international partners. The mission generated important scientific results, including seafloor mapping, biodiversity observations, specimen collections and other marine datasets, as well as stunning imagery of what lies beneath Timorese waters.
The findings deepen Timor-Leste’s understanding of its marine environment and strengthen the scientific evidence to support national decision-making, including the protection of marine biodiversity and coral reefs, establishment of the Ataúro National Park and marine spatial planning.
At the heart of the symposium is a central question: How can the scientific outputs from the OceanX Timor-Leste 2025 mission support national decision-making, advance the Blue Economy and shape future marine research priorities?
The symposium will help strengthen national capacity to conduct, interpret and apply marine science, while expanding opportunities for Timorese scientists, students and officials to participate in marine research.
OceanX’s mission and this symposium form part of the Government’s broader efforts to place sustainable management of Timor-Leste’s marine resources at the centre of its development agenda. This work supports the Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030 and the Government’s Policy and Action Plan for the Promotion of a Resilient and Sustainable Ocean Economy 2025–2035.
“This symposium will connect science with policy and action, transforming knowledge of the ocean into practical solutions for a healthier marine environment, stronger national research capacity, sustainable economic opportunities and a resilient Blue Economy”, said Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.
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Press Release
Day off on September 1st (all day) and on September 10th, 2026 (afternoon), to mark the repatriation of the mortal remains of Catholic prelates who carried out pastoral duties in Timor-Leste
Whereas the history of Timor-Leste is also, and inseparably, a history of faith, spiritual resilience, and communion between a people and their clergy, and the Catholic Church stood alongside the Timorese people during the darkest moments of their collective history, with the prelates who exercised pastoral duties in the country leaving a legacy that extends far beyond the religious sphere, becoming an integral part of national identity itself;
Whereas Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart, Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro, and Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes were buried in Portugal, and Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva was buried in the Maloa-Ailok Laran Cemetery in Dili;
Taking into account that, on September 1st of this year, the mortal remains of the aforementioned prelates are scheduled to arrive in Timor-Leste, and the Catholic Church, in coordination with the Government, will organise religious ceremonies of tribute;
Whereas Article 7(2)(a) of Law No. 10/2005, of August 10th, as amended by Law No. 3/2016, of May 25th, and Law No. 10/2023, of April 5th, provides that a day off may be granted on the occasion of an official commemorative date;
Given the significance of this historical event for the majority of the national population who profess the Catholic faith;
Taking into account, furthermore, the desire of the State and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to receive the mortal remains of the aforementioned prelates with the highest possible distinction on September 1st, 2026;
In order to enable many Catholics to travel to Dili to participate in the major reception ceremony at President Nicolau Lobato International Airport for the mortal remains of Bishop Jaime Garcia Goulart, Bishop José Joaquim Ribeiro, and Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes;
Taking into account, also, the commemorative celebrations organised by the Catholic Church on September 10th, in Tasi Tolu, followed by the respective funeral service at Dili Cathedral;
Whereas, pursuant to Article 7(6)(d) of Law No. 10/2005, of August 10th, as amended by Law No. 3/2016, of May 25th, and Law No. 10/2023, of April 5th, it is within the competence of the Prime Minister to grant a day off to “civil servants and agents of ministries or services dependent on them, as well as of institutes and bodies belonging to the indirect administration of the State”;
Thus, pursuant to Article 7(2)(a) and (6)(d) of Law No. 10/2005, of August 10th, as amended by Law No. 3/2016, of May 25th, and Law No. 10/2023, of April 5th, the Prime Minister, through Order No. 12/PM/VIII/2026, hereby determines the following:
a) September 1st, 2026, all day;
b) September 10th, 2026, from 12:00 pm onwards.
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 26th, 2026
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft government resolution to renew the term of the Steering Committee 25 (Comité Orientador 25) for another five-year period, following the expiry of its current term in January 2027.
The renewal of the mandate aims to ensure the continuity and completion of the research, analysis, and drafting of the book “History of the Youth and Student Resistance in Timor-Leste”, with Volumes I, III, and IV already completed.
The Government Resolution further stipulates that expenses and costs arising from the Committee’s activities are subject to the regulations governing the award of public grants and are covered by funds allocated in the Ministry of Education’s annual budget. Steering Committee 25 must also coordinate the implementation of its activities with the Ministry of National Liberation Veterans’ Affairs and the Chega! National Centre, IP.
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The Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Maria da Costa Rangel, presented the findings of the ASEAN Secretariat’s report on the implementation of the roadmap for Timor-Leste’s full membership of ASEAN to the Council of Ministers.
The report, covering progress between May 2025 and January 2026, highlights Timor-Leste’s strides in meeting the criteria set out in the Roadmap, including active participation in ASEAN meetings, the strengthening of inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms, the operation of Timor-Leste’s Permanent Mission to ASEAN, and the designation of national entities and focal points responsible for the various areas of cooperation. Between January and September 2025, Timor-Leste participated in 455 of the 504 meetings to which it was invited, corresponding to a participation rate of 90.3%.
Of the seven criteria set out in the Roadmap, five have been fully implemented, including those relating to institutional capacity, the Permanent Mission, national implementation and coordination mechanisms, visa exemptions and passport recognition, and the financial obligations arising from accession.
The process of acceding to ASEAN’s legal instruments is partially implemented, with requirements under the Political-Security and Socio-Cultural pillars already met and work continuing within the framework of the Economic Community. Preparations are also underway to develop the infrastructure and logistical capacity required for Timor-Leste’s future responsibilities within ASEAN and for the country’s presidency of the organisation in 2029.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Decree regulating the National Centre for Coordination, Assessment, and Combating Transnational Threats (CN-CAT), as provided for in the Integrated National Plan to Prevent and Combat Transnational Digital Financial Fraud Networks Supported by Online Scam Platforms (SCAM), Organised Cybercrime, and Human Trafficking, for the period 2026 to 2031.
The CN-CAT reports directly to the Prime Minister and is responsible for ensuring inter-institutional coordination, conducting integrated threat assessments, and supporting the Government’s strategic decision-making to prevent and combat transnational threats that could affect national security, digital sovereignty, economic stability, the integrity of the national financial system, or the State’s strategic interests. These threats include digital financial fraud, online scam platforms, organised cybercrime, illegal entry and stay of foreign nationals in the national territory, and human trafficking.
The Centre brings together representatives of the main agencies responsible for these areas and is coordinated by the Director-General of the National Strategic Intelligence Service, assisted by the Director of the Forensic Criminal Investigation Police. Its main functions include the ongoing assessment of threats, the preparation of strategic reports and alerts for the Prime Minister, the sharing of information among participating agencies, technical coordination and the planning of joint actions, and the monitoring of the implementation of the measures set out in the National Plan.
The activities of the CN-CAT do not alter the jurisdiction of its member entities, nor do they confer powers of criminal investigation or operational direction; furthermore, the Public Prosecutor’s Office retains control over criminal investigations.
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Following the presentation by the Secretary of State for Equality, Elvina de Sousa Carvalho, the Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution adopting the official theme and slogan for the celebrations marking the 50th Anniversary of National Timorese Women’s Day. The approved theme is “Women of Timor-Leste: Celebrating 50 Years of Equality and Inclusion,” and the slogan is “We, the Women of Timor-Leste, will never give up; we will continue to fight for Equality and Inclusion.”
The celebrations aim to honour and recognise the historic contributions of Timorese women, reinforce commitment to gender equality and social inclusion, and promote women’s active participation in national development. The programme also aims to pay tribute to the many generations of women who, over the past 50 years, have contributed to Timor-Leste’s independence, peace, and development.
The programme includes an opening ceremony on November 3rd, 2026, in the Municipality of Bobonaro, honouring National Heroine Maria Tapó. It will feature cultural and sporting activities, a Mass of Thanksgiving, and community dialogue. On November 6th, the official national ceremony will take place at the Dili Convention Centre and will feature a seminar on the role of women in peacebuilding, equality, and development; exhibitions highlighting women’s contributions to the national resistance and state-building; and cultural and artistic activities. The municipalities will also hold commemorative activities.
The Secretariat of State for Equality is responsible for coordinating the celebrations and for establishing the organising committee, in collaboration with the relevant ministries, municipal authorities, civil society organisations, development partners, and other relevant entities.
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Following the proposal presented by the Minister of Public Works, Samuel Marçal, the Council of Ministers decided to ratify the authorisations for expenditure and the decision to initiate the procurement process, through a public tender, to purchase fuel for the Hera and Betano power plants.
The total estimated cost of the contract is US$428.99 million, divided into two lots: approximately US$316.31 million for the supply of about 372.5 million litres of fuel to the Hera Power Plant and approximately US$112.67 million for about 129.9 million litres of fuel to the Betano Power Plant.
The procedure aims to ensure the continuity of fuel supply from January 2027 onwards and, consequently, to guarantee the operation of the two power plants and electricity generation in the country after the current supply contracts expire in December 2026. The three-year contract also seeks to provide greater supply stability, facilitate the management of fuel reserves, and enable the negotiation of more favourable prices.
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Lastly, the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, gave a presentation to the Council of Ministers on preparations for the ceremonies honouring and repatriating the mortal remains of D. Jaime Garcia Goulart, D. José Joaquim Ribeiro, Monsignor Martinho da Costa Lopes, and D. Alberto Ricardo da Silva.
The presentation outlined the programme of tributes, organised jointly by the Government and the Timorese Episcopal Conference, which includes the official reception of the remains in Dili on September 1st, 2026, the ceremonies in Tasi Tolu, and the subsequent transfer to their final resting places. The initiative aims to honour the spiritual, historical, and national legacy of these prelates and to recognise their contribution to the people and history of Timor-Leste. END