Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and

Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste

Díli, August 29, 2012

The Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, and the Deputy Minister and of Parliamentary Affairs of Portugal, Miguel Relvas, signed, on Wednesday, August 29, at the Government Palace in Dili, a Cooperation Agreement for the Social Communication sector and four additional protocols.

The major objective of this Agreement is to govern bilateral cooperation in the field of Media and, ultimately, contribute to the strengthening of the media’s independence and the responsible exercise of freedom of information, fulfilling one of the objectives of the V Constitutional Government Program, which states: “the right to information, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are vital for the consolidation of democracy in Timor-Leste. The flow of information increases public understanding on the projects and activities of the government, helping to create national unity and cohesion”.

This agreement follows the Social Communication Program 2012-2013, funded by the European Union under a cooperation delegated in Portugal, and the corresponding Memorandum of Understanding, signed between the Portuguese Institute for Development Support (IPAD), Office for the Social Communication Media (GMCS) and the Secretariat of State of the Council of Ministers (SECM), on June 6, 2012.

With the need to incorporate the various programs, projects and activities of bilateral cooperation in this field, Timor-Leste and Portugal decided to create this document covering the following areas:
a) regulation and self-regulation of the sector;
b) drafting of legislation in accordance to best international practices;
c) education, training and relevant research;
d) establishment and development of news agencies and public or community radio and television stations, including technical assistance to its various operations.

The four protocols focus equally on the media sector:

One of the protocols, which involves the National University of Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) and the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), in addition to the Governments of Timor-Leste and Portugal, governs an academic exchange and the establishment of a specialized library for Media, in UNTL.

In regards to the academic exchange, the protocol defines that UNTL graduates of the Bachelor of Social Communication will attend a semester in the corresponding UCP graduate course, of which six wil attend in 2012 and six others in 2013. The first six graduates of the UNTL Media course, already covered by this protocol, participated in the site visit to the RTTL Installations, conducted by the Minister Miguel Relvas.

Another protocol, which involves the two governments and the Protocol Centre for Professional Training of Journalists, focuses on the specialized training of journalists from Timor-Leste media institutions.

The third protocol between the two governments and LUSA – News Agency of Portugal, envisages the creation of a Timor-Leste news agency, which is moreover one of the objectives of the V Constitutional Government, according to the program approved in the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers on August 25 and 26.

Finally, the fourth protocol, which in addition to the two Governments also involves the Radio and Television of Timor-Leste (RTTL) and Radio and Television of Portugal (RTP), concerns the scanning and protection of the RTTL Archives. The RTTL archive logs began in 2000, and are at risk of deterioration. Scanning and protecting this archive is critical to the preservation of our National Collective Memory, and the historic partnership that exists between RTTL and RTP, and RTP’s ability to ensure the scanning of the files, position’s this institution as the partner par excellence of its counterpart in Timor-Leste, for this project.

The Minister of State and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, emphasizes that “because the media is considered one of the pillars of modern democracy and a major factor in social stability and sustainable development for the countries, it is critical that Timor-Leste revives and develops the sector. The signing of this agreement is an important step towards a future that we are building: a stable and prosperous future, not only with a clear and developed People, but also a happy one”.