The Secretary of State for Art and Culture, Jorge Soares Cristovão, his ministerial team and representatives from UNESCO Jakarta and Timor-Leste discussed Timor-Leste’s future World Heritage candidature. Moe Chiba, from UNESCO Timor-Leste and Rizky Fardhyan, representative of UNESCO Jakarta, attended this meeting via videoconference. 

Representatives of various Government ministries and services, including the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, through the State Secretariat for Forestry, and the Ministry of State Administration, attended the meeting. They shared experiences and discussed technical aspects.

The Secretary of State explained that “our country has ratified three UNESCO conventions: the 2003 convention, the 2005 convention and the 1972 convention” and added that “we are currently stepping up our efforts, especially within the framework of the 1972 convention”, stressing its importance for Timor-Leste, given its objective of encouraging the preservation of cultural and natural assets considered significant for humanity. 

Jorge Soares Cristovão also said that the Secretariat of State “is working with all the ministerial lines to identify and register our list of possible World Heritage nominations”.

Important cultural legacies, such as the archaeological remains of Tutuala, Jaco Islet, Mount Ramelau, and traditional houses (Uma Lisan), are among the sites being evaluated for potential World Heritage nomination.

The Secretary of State said that “during this meeting, we shared experiences on how to identify and select possible sites to be included on the provisional list. He also stressed that “it’s not just a question of tourism, but also of involving archaeologists and historians to help us identify and register these heritage sites with UNESCO in Paris”.