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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of June 26, 2019
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and heard a presentation by the Ministry of Finance of the report on the assessment of development finance in support of the implementation of the Strategic Development Plan (PED) and the Sustainable Development Goals in Timor-Leste. The evaluation of development finance is a government-led dialogue process that considers the various sources of funding for the future in an integrated planning process and intends to be a tool to support Government in the definition of national reform policies in accordance with the Strategic Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals in Timor-Leste. The main recommendations of this report are the establishment of a strategy to promote national investment, the creation of an integrated financing strategy, the calculation of intervention costs to meet the priorities of the PED, the establishment of an integrated investment strategy for infrastructures and the need to create mechanisms to develop the potential of the national private sector.
The Ministry of Finance also presented the proposal for a Government Resolution, approved by the Council of Ministers, on Foreign Assistance Policy. The primary objective of this diploma is to ensure that any external assistance provided by the development partners is in accordance with the Government’s plan and priorities. The External Assistance Policy provides a basis for building, maintaining and strengthening effective working partnerships based on a shared planning framework and objectives as well as harmonizing predictable and reliable external assistance from development partners with Government priorities. The document will be presented on July 4 at the Timor-Leste Development Partners Meeting (TLDP 2019), organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of Finance. The theme of TLDP 2019 will be “to deepen coordination for financing development” and will take place in the auditorium of the Ministry of Finance on July 2 and 3 with bilateral meetings and on July 4 with the multilateral meeting.
The Minister for Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, presented the proposal for a draft of the Protocol of Triangular Cooperation, between the Secretary of State for Social Communication, Camões, Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I. P. from Portugal and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Argentina. This cooperation protocol aims to implement the Project “Consultório da Língua para Jornalistas”, aimed at training national media professionals in a more technical component, through the sharing of knowledge with Argentine professionals. The training is aimed at national radio, television and written press journalists, press assistants and professionals of social communication sector. The Council of Ministers approved the draft proposed and granted full powers to the Secretary of State for Social Communication, Merício Juvinal dos Reis ‘Akara’, for the signature of this protocol.
The Council of Ministers examined the Government’s proposal for a resolution submitted by the Interim Minister of Finance, Sara Lobo Brites, concerning the payment of part of the co-financing of the construction of the second passenger ship – Nakroma II. The contract for the construction of the new ship was signed by the Governments of Timor-Leste and Germany on May 31, 2019. Considering that specific funding was not allocated in the General State Budget for 2019 for the payment of the construction of the Nakroma II, the proposal aims to secure the payment of part of the co-financing by Timor-Leste for the first phase of construction of this second passenger ship. The proposal will be re-examined at a subsequent meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Finally, the Council of Ministers approved the proposal for a Government Decree, submitted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, on the transportation allowance for participation in compulsory training actions for teachers, school leaders, officials and agents who perform teaching functions at pre-school, primary and secondary education establishments, public and integrated into the public service education network, if they do not have access to a state vehicle or to transportation organized and paid by the Public Administration. ENDS