The Government, through the Ministry of Finance, organized on June 27, 2019, the Budget Days, a seminar that marks the beginning of the preparation of the General State Budget (OGE) of 2020, held in the auditorium Xanana Gusmão, at the Ministry of Finance, in Dili.

The theme of the Seminar was “Promoting Quality Planning and Budgeting to Improve Public Services” and its main objective was to define national priorities, aligned with the Strategic Development Plan (PED) 2011-2030, with the Eight Government’s Program and with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a realistic, effective and sustainable way. The scenarios for the OGE 2020 foscal ceiling and the budgetary needs of sectoral programs and activities of each Ministry and of all State institutions were also discussed.

The acting Minister of Finance, Sara Lobo Brites, stressed the importance of “preparing the OGE 2020 to be focused on reducing poverty and investing in human resources, in order to accelerate national development”.

Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak in his speech set out three central goals for OGE 2020, “to achieve an annual growth rate of more than 7%, to reduce the poverty rate by 10% and to reduce the unemployment rate, so as to fulfill the Government Program’s forecast of an annual creation of 60 thousand new jobs, with the expectation of reaching 300 thousand jobs by the end of the mandate”.

To achieve these goals “the Government will invest in three fundamental sectors: the development of social capital, economy and basic infrastructure.”

Taur Matan Ruak stated that “the preparation of the budget proposal will be carried out in a planned, integrated and transversal way with five main areas of intervention – social well-being, protection and Citizenship; investment in the economy and public finances; consolidation and strengthening of defense, security and external relations; the consolidation and strengthening of justice, democracy and human rights”.

The Prime Minister also emphasized investment in improving conditions and access to drinking water and sanitation infrastructures, which are fundamental to improve living conditions, prevent diseases and reduce mortality rates.

The Budget Days were attended by members of the Eight Constitutional Government, the President of the National Parliament, Arão Noé Amaral, Members of Committee C of the National Parliament, Heads of State Institutions, Heads of Autonomous Agencies, Municipal Authorities including representatives of RAEOA – ZEESM, representatives of the Presidency of the Republic and General and National Directors responsible for the budget and Planning area.