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Díli, July 9, 2013
Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on July 9, 2013
The V Constitutional Government met this Tuesday, July 9, 2013, in the Council of Ministers meeting room at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the following:
1. Proposal of Law on Expropriation
The right to private property is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. There is however one exception foreseen in the Constitution, giving the State the opportunity to expropriate property for reasons of public utility. This prerogative of the State is essential for the development of infrastructures that serve the population. But taking into consideration the implications of expropriation on the lives of citizens, the Constitution establishes clear limits to its exercise, being only possible to apply when the public interest is concerned and upon payment of fair compensation.
This law regulates this constitutional precept and the administrative procedure to make the expropriation for reasons of public utility, establishing the necessary mechanisms to ensure respect for the rights of those affected by expropriation.
The drafting of this law resulted from knowledge accumulated over several years of studies and public consultations on issues related to the ownership of real estate. Taking into account the impact of this law on the lives of people, there was special care to standardize it with the instruments of international laws, to which Timor-Leste is party, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), all of which are an integral part of the Timorese legal system.
2. Decree-Law that approves the creation of the National Commission for Combating HIV-AIDS in Timor-Leste
The National Commission for Combating HIV-AIDS in Timor-Leste (CNCS-TL) succeeds the National Commission to Fight AIDS, assuming the coordination and consolidation of the multiple-sector response to the disease and of the implementation of the National Strategy to Fight HIV -AIDS.
In 2003, with the aim of coordinating the multiple-sector activities to prevent and combat HIV-AIDS, the I Constitutional Government created the National Commission to Fight AIDS, named its President and delegated to him the competencies to develop its Statute and to name its other members.
Since this Commission has been unable to fulfill its mandate, the Council of Ministers decided to create the CNCS-TL, with a reinforced structure, assuming the assets, rights and obligations of the National Commission to Fight AIDS.
3. Government Resolution extending the mandate of the Temporary Committee of Management and Operation of SAMES E.P.
The Council of Ministers decided to extend the mandate of the Temporary Committee of Management and Operation of the Autonomous Service of Medicines and Health Equipment – SAMES E.P. until the end of the year. The current mandate expires on the 13th July.
This extension was decided after the presentation at this meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Report of the Temporary Committee for Management and Operation of the financial and human resources situation of SAMES. The report also provided an action plan for the institution.
The Council of Ministers also analyzed the situation of the supply of pharmaceuticals in the country and took emergency measures to solve the problem.
The Council of Ministers also analyzed:
1. Presentation of proposed creation of the Air Transport of Timor-Leste
The company Citra Perdana Mahesa submitted to the Council of Ministers a proposal to create the commercial airline of Timor-Leste. With an implementation plan of five years, benefiting from the strategic geographical position of Timor-Leste, the Indonesian company proposes to create a prestigious airline with a particular influence in the Asia-Pacific Region.
2. Presentation of the proposed remodeling of Dili Airport
The Ministry of Transport and Communications submitted to the Council of Ministers a redevelopment proposal for the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport. The airport receives about 150 000 passengers annually and has regular connections to Darwin (Australia), Denpasar (Indonesia) and Singapore.
According to the vision of the Strategic Development Plan (SDP), the “Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport will be a modern international standard airport with a capacity to handle over one million passengers per year”, to handle an increasing number of passengers and facilitate access to new markets and meeting international safety and service standards.
The project presented proposes a phased construction tailored to the need for the capacity to receive large aircraft and meet the demands of the country’s national and international growth.
3. Presentation of the 2nd and 3rd Combined Report of CEDAW
In the context of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Secretariat of State for the Promotion of Equality submitted the second and third combined periodic report covering the period August 2009 to May in 2013 to the Council of Ministers.
This quadrennial report evaluates the performance of the State in the implementation of the CEDAW Convention, identifies best practices and methods to ensure gender equality, and provides the Government with an identification of priorities in this regard so that the Government can plan the implementation of measures that will be evaluated in the next report.