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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 13, 2021
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili, and, on a proposal from the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture, Longuinhos dos Santos, decided to appoint Professor João Soares Martins as Rector of the National University of Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) for a period of five years.
The content of the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Timor-Leste and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA), on the development project for children’s sport in Timor-Leste was approved. The memorandum of understanding was presented by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Armindo Maia, and by the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Abrão Saldanha. This project aims to promote child participation in sports activities and raise awareness among the public in general on child development through sports activities. It is also intended, through this program to establish the sports system in Timor-Leste, by strengthening the capacity of organizational management and youth sports coaches, and through the modernization of youth sports facilities.
The Council of Ministers, on a proposal from the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Social Communication, Francisco Martins da Costa Pereira Jerónimo, also decided to appoint Manuel Pinto as Chairman of the Board of Directors of TATOLI, Timor-Leste News Agency, IP, for a period of four years.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, gave a presentation on the process of revising the Timor-Leste’s graduation to leave the category of Least Developed Countries of the United Nations. After analysing the advantages and disadvantages of the transition to the group of developing countries and, although Timor-Leste is already qualified for this status, the Council of Ministers decided to defer Timor-Leste’s graduation.
Lastly, the Council of Ministers approved, with amendments, the Government’s legislative plan for 2021 draft, presented by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães. The legislative plan was drawn up on the proposals submitted by the members of the Council of Ministers and consists of a forecast of the Government’s legislative interventions, and their priorities, divided by sectors, for the year 2021. Legislative planning is one of the tools set to improve the quality of the Government’s legislative activity. END