National Parliament Approves Two Resolutions to Strengthen Timor-Leste's Integration into ASEAN
On June 29th, 2026, the National Parliament approved two draft resolutions advancing Timor-Leste’s integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ensuring the implementation of the rights and obligations arising from Timor-Leste’s status as the organisation’s 11th member state. The plenary session was attended by Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs Milena Maria da Costa Rangel and Vice Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Adérito Hugo da Costa, representing the Government. 
The two proposals were approved by the Council of Ministers at its meetings on February 20th and June 3rd, 2026, respectively, and were subsequently submitted to the National Parliament.
The first resolution approves the amendment to the Schedule of Commitments annexed to the ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons (MNP). The amendment, adopted as a harmonised model for all ASEAN Member States, consists solely of technical reformatting and does not change the content or scope of the commitments undertaken by Timor-Leste.
During the plenary session, the Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs clarified that the agreement was reformatted after Timor-Leste’s accession negotiations concluded, making new ratification necessary to ensure the document’s compliance with ASEAN’s common format. She also explained that the Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons applies only to the mobility of qualified professionals among ASEAN Member States, while national immigration and labour laws remain fully applicable.
The second resolution ratifies the Cebu Protocol amending the ASEAN Charter, adopted at the 48th ASEAN Summit in May 2026. The protocol formally updates the organisation’s Charter to reflect Timor-Leste's admission as its 11th member state. Also, it updates the official list of member states, the flag, and the ASEAN emblem.
The Vice Minister explained that this amendment is necessary because the ASEAN Charter still refers to only ten member states. Ratification will complete the update of the organisation’s legal framework, and formal approval by the Heads of State and Government is expected at the next ASEAN Summit, to be held in Manila from November 11th to 13th, 2026.
Timor-Leste officially joined ASEAN on October 26th, 2025. Since then, the Government has been promoting the legislative, institutional, and technical measures necessary to ensure the country’s full integration into the organisation’s mechanisms.
The adoption of these two resolutions marks another step in this process, aimed at ensuring that ASEAN’s legal framework reflects its composition of eleven member states and at supporting the full implementation of Timor-Leste’s rights and obligations as a member of the organisation.
