Meeting of the Council of Ministers on May 13, 2020
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
.............................................................................................................................
Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of May 13, 2020
The Council of Ministers met in the Auditorium Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, at the Ministry of Finance, in Dili and approved the Draft Law presented by the Minister of Defense, Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus, regarding the first amendment to Law Nº 3/2010, of April 21, National Defense Law. This amendment aims to promote better harmonization between the National Defense Law and a set of central documents in the definition of the National Defense Policy and the formulation of the state's strategic-military action, namely the Strategic Concept of National Defense, the Military Strategic Concept, the National Forces System, the Missions of the Armed Forces and the F-FDTL Force. This amendment enshrines the competence of the Prime Minister to propose to the Council of Ministers, together with the member of the Government with competence in the field of Defence, the appointment and dismissal of the Head of the Armed Forces. The composition of the Superior Council of Military Defense is also modified, the process of appointing and exonerating the General Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces is clarified, the General Support Forces are removed from the general organization of the F-FDTL, the Support Agencies and the General Support Forces are integrated into the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The composition of the organic structure of the F-FDTL is also amended and the Government is expected to approve the Military Discipline Regulation.
The Council of Ministers approved the framework for cooperation for sustainable development, between the Government of Timor-Leste and the United Nations, for the period between 2021 and 2025, presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dionísio da Costa Babo Soares. This cooperation agreement provides for six strategic priorities: 1 - Nutrition, Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture; 2 - Sustainable economic opportunities and decent work for all; 3 - Child development and lifelong learning outcomes and skills; 4 - Quality health care and well-being; 5 - Responsible, inclusive and participatory governance and quality public services; 6 - Sustainable management of natural resources and resilience to climate change. The Council of Ministers has given the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation full powers to sign the agreement.
The Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, presented the draft Decree-Law, approved by the Council of Ministers, concerning the first amendment to Decree-Law No. 14/2018, of August 17, on the Organic of the VIII Constitutional Government. Through this law, it is now envisaged the existence of two Deputy Prime Ministers who will assist the Prime Minister in the exercise of his powers, a Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Communications, a Minister of Planning and Territorial Land Use, a Deputy Minister for Cultural and Community Tourism, a Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry and a Deputy Minister of the Interior. The government positions of Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment are extinguished. It also removes the role of a Minister of State. With this Decree-Law, the tasks on legislative reform, legislative process and administrative reform are placed under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. The Ministry of Justice will concentrate all the Government's tasks on judicial reform. The Ministry of Planning and Territorial Land Use, which follows the defunct Ministry of Planning and Strategic Investment, will be responsible for government tasks in the field of planning and territorial land use management, leaving the Ministry of Public Works to pursue any tasks in urban planning. It is also no longer foreseen in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the existence of the G7+ Secretariat with the National Procurement Commission becomes part of the Ministry of Finance. ENDS
