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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of 20 November 2019
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and he heard a presentation by the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion, Maria José da Fonseca Monteiro de Jesus, on the State Report for the CEDAW Committee (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1979 and entered into force on 3 September 1981. With 185 State- Parties and having been ratified by Timor-Leste in 2003, it is one of the most ratified human rights treaties. The report presents the national situation, challenges and progress since 2015 with a view to eliminating discrimination against women in different areas in order to ensure the principle of equality between women and men at legal, social, political, economic and cultural levels, as provided for in Article 17 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. The Report to be sent to the CEDAW Committee was adopted.
The Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, presented the draft Decree-Law, approved by the Council of Ministers, referring to the sixth amendment to Decree-Law Nº 10/2005 of 21 November on the Legal Provisioning Regime. This amendment determines that international public tender announcements will no longer be published in printed newspapers of international circulation, determining that it is required they be published on at least two electronic platforms internationally used for this purpose, as well as in a newspaper with national circulation.
The Minister of Justice, Manuel Cárceres da Costa, presented two draft Decree-Laws, approved by the Council of Ministers, on the Organic Structure and the New Regime of Training Activities of the Center for Legal and Judicial Training (CFJJ). These diplomas aim to reorganize the structure of the CFJJ, through a diploma of higher hierarchy, reinforcing its identity as an institution of excellence for legal and judicial training, and by endorsing it with the organic and organizational conditions appropriate to the fulfilment of this important mission. It is also intended to remove all conflicting rules with other diplomas, namely statutory diplomas from other professional careers in the justice sector, while introducing new solutions in this regime, correcting procedures and practices that needed changes or improvements.
The Minister of Justice also presented the draft Government Decree, approved by the Council of Ministers, regarding the Updating of the Staff Framework of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This Government Decree creates conditions for the regular development in the career of the judiciary of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and extends the vacancies for the places of entry into this same career, in compliance with legally established requirements and in compliance with the objectives set out in the Eight Constitutional Government’s Program, with a view to consolidating the Justice sector, supporting it with competent, independent and professional human resources.
The Interim Minister Coordinator for Economic Affairs, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães and TradeInvest gave a presentation to the Council of Ministers on the Special Investment Agreement between the State of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Pelican Paradise Group, Lda. The project provides for an investment of US$700 million for the development of a tourism complex, in an area of about 550 hectares, in the Tasi Tolu area, which includes hotel units, a golf course, residential lots, a youth development center, an international school, an international hospital and shopping centers. This tourism complex will allow the creation of approximately 1500 jobs in the construction phase, 1300 permanent jobs after the construction and reforestation of 80% of the project area.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Defense, Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus, which approves the Statute of the Military in Peace and Humanitarian Missions abroad, within the framework of international commitments undertaken by Timor-Leste, defining the terms of their participation in the missions.
Finally, the Acting Finance Minister, Sara Lobo Brites, presented a draft Decree-Law, relating to the extraordinary payment of one month of additional salary to the public administration and a draft Government Decree regarding the additional payment to officials and agents of the Ministry of Finance allocated to the process of preparing the General Budget of the State for 2020 and closing the 2019 State Account. The two diplomas were approved by the Council of Ministers. ENDS