IV CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
SECRETARIAT OF STATE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

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PRESS RELEASE

Council of Ministers Meeting from January 25, 2012

The Council of Ministers met this Wednesday, January 25, 2012, in the Council of Ministers Meeting Room, at the Government Palace, in Díli and analyzed:

1. Presentation on the Report on Sustainable Development in Timor-Leste

This document, prepared by the Ministry of Economy and Development in collaboration with UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in preparation for Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development aims to provide guidelines for a sustainable and environment friendly development in Timor-Leste, in accordance and in addition with the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030.

In 202, soon after independence, a Conference on Sustainable Development was held in Díli where people from all over the country expressed their concerns about the future development model for Timor-Leste. The conference was inspired by the theme of a “new beginning” with an emphasis on doing things differently. Stakeholders identified the principles of sustainable development as starting points for Timor-Leste’s nation building.

Ten years later, in preparations for Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Timor-Leste has taken a big step towards assessing its strengths and weaknesses for achieving a sustainable development model. An extensive stocktaking exercise was undertaken initially to highlight policies, rules, regulations, activities and projects as well as challenges at the sectoral level. Based on these findings, a stocktaking report was produced which identified sector specific strengths, challenges, opportunities and potential entry points for sustainability. A workshop was then held in Díli on November 2011 involving all stakeholders to discuss the sectoral findings, share good practices and create synergies for the way forward.

This National Report brings together these processes to articulate overall country progress in pursuing sustainable development and moves towards a greener economy since Timor-Leste’s independence in 2011.