Meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 20th 2026
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 February 20th 2026
The Council of Ministers met at the Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão Auditorium at the Ministry of Finance in Dili and approved the Government's draft resolution, presented by Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, which approves the Policy and Action Plan for the Promotion of a Resilient and Sustainable Blue Economy in Timor-Leste.
With the approval of this Resolution, the Government establishes the political vision and action strategy of the 9th Constitutional Government for this sector for the next ten years, under the direct coordination of the Prime Minister, with the support of the Land and Maritime Boundary Office and the respective Blue Economy Unit, ensuring coordination between ministries and relevant partners.
The Policy is organised around axes that promote marine research and literacy, protect marine biodiversity, support the sustainable use of resources, including fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and renewable energy, and strengthen maritime transport and port development. It also provides for the strengthening of ocean governance, the integration of climate change adaptation measures, and the creation of financing, monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms.
With this decision, the Executive reaffirms its commitment to the sea as one of the pillars of national development, with a view to promoting job creation, improving the living conditions of coastal populations, and protecting ecosystems, within a framework of sustainable and inclusive growth.
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The government's draft resolution, also presented by the Prime Minister, on the Maritime Satellite Account was approved.
The purpose of this Government Resolution is to implement Pillar 15 of the Blue Economy Policy and Action Plan, laying the foundations for the Sea Satellite Account as a statistical tool designed to accurately measure the sea economy’s contribution to the national economy.
The Sea Satellite Account will enable the collection, organisation, and analysis of data on public expenditure, and, at a later stage, on public and private economic activity associated with the maritime sector, integrating this information into the National Accounts. To this end, the Directorate-General for Budget Planning and the National Statistics Institute of Timor-Leste, IP, in coordination with the Land and Maritime Boundary Office, will define the methodology, relevant economic indicators, and the necessary data collection and processing mechanisms.
It is also planned that, within six months of the resolution coming into force, a report will be submitted to the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister, providing an update on the work and a roadmap for establishing the Sea Satellite Account and consolidating the Sea Economy budget marker in the General State Budget from 2027 onwards.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, also presented by the Prime Minister, which aims to establish the Framework for the Planning and Management of the National Maritime Space, thereby creating a legal framework for the integrated and sustainable organisation of Timor-Leste's maritime territory.
The draft Decree-Law outlines the national maritime space and establishes principles such as the ecosystem approach, integrated management, and coordination between sea and land, ensuring compatibility between different uses and activities. It provides for the development of planning instruments, including the situation plan and allocation plans, and regulates the private use of maritime space through concessions, licences, or authorisations.
With this measure, the Government strengthens the legal basis required to promote the maritime economy, protect the marine environment, and ensure the balanced and sustainable development of the national maritime space.
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The draft National Parliament Resolution Proposal, presented by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai, for the approval of the ASEAN Extradition Treaty, a legal instrument that aims to strengthen legal cooperation between Member States in the fight against transnational crime, was also approved.
The Treaty establishes the principles and procedures for extraditing persons sought for the purposes of prosecution, trial, or the service of a sentence, defines the offences subject to extradition, sets out the mandatory and discretionary conditions and grounds for refusal, and specifies the applicable procedural and humanitarian guarantees.
The Treaty was signed by the Minister of Justice Sérgio Hornai, together with his ASEAN counterparts, at the 13th ASEAN Law Ministers Meeting (ALAWMM) in Manila, Philippines, on November 14th, 2025.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft National Parliament Resolution Proposal, presented by the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Maria da Costa Rangel, to amend the Framework of Commitments annexed to National Parliament Resolution No. 46/2025, of October 15th, which approves, for accession, the ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons (MNP) and its Amending Protocol.
This initiative aims to replace the Annex relating to the Schedule of Commitments (SoC) under the MNP Agreement to ensure formal compliance with the common model adopted by ASEAN for all Member States. The proposed amendment is solely the result of a technical reformatting exercise and does not change the substance, level, or scope of the commitments made by Timor-Leste.
The restructuring of the Commitment Framework was requested following ASEAN's adoption of a harmonised model, and the revised document was accepted and endorsed in December 2025. With the approval of this Draft Resolution of the National Parliament, the formal conditions necessary for the deposit of Timor-Leste's Instrument of Accession to the ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons are met, reinforcing the process of national integration into the organisation's mechanisms.
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Also, at the proposal of Vice Minister Milena Rangel, the Council of Ministers approved the Final Review of Timor-Leste's Commitment Schedule under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) to fulfil the requirements for full membership of the agreement and assume the obligations arising from the ASEAN Economic Community.
The revision now approved focuses on the Final Market Access Offer presented by Timor-Leste following negotiations with ASEAN Member States. This framework aims to balance regional integration with the safeguarding of national strategic and economic interests, promoting sustainable growth and competitiveness in the country's productive and service sectors.
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The Council of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Milena Maria da Costa Rangel, regarding the designation of the names “Ataúro,” “Ramelau,” and “Oe-cússe” for the spaces allocated to Timor-Leste at the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia. END
