Meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 9th, 2024
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste
Ninth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 9th, 2024
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft Resolution for the National Parliament Proposal, presented by the Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, to ratify the Protocol of Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
On February 26th, the Government of Timor-Leste, through Vice Prime Minister Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, signed the WTO accession protocol with the Director of this organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during the 13th WTO ministerial conference held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Accession to the WTO is a crucial step towards boosting economic reforms in Timor-Leste. It marks a significant advance in trade liberalising, integrating into the global economy and facilitating access to international markets.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution, also presented by the Vice Prime Minister, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, to repeal Government Resolution 6/2016, of February 17th, amended by Resolution 24/2023, of May 24th, which established the National Commission for Trade Facilitation (CONFAC, acronym in Portuguese).
This decision determines that the functions previously carried out by CONFAC will be absorbed by the Strategic Unit for Economic Integration. The main objective is to ensure more effective coordination of trade facilitation initiatives, including legislative reforms, promote dialogue between the parties, and support the country's economic integration. The reorganisation within this Unit becomes necessary following Timor-Leste's accession to the WTO to intensify coordination and economic integration efforts in line with current requirements.
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The Council of Ministers attended a presentation on Timor Telecom by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu.
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Lastly, the Council of Ministers decided to grant full powers to the Secretary of State for Art and Culture, Jorge Soares Cristovão, to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba. This memorandum aims to establish cooperation in culture and artistic learning to support the national objective of creating an Academy of Arts and Creative Cultural Industries in Timor-Leste. END
