DILI, 07 april 2022 (TATOLI) – Today, the Minister of Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães leads a high-level Government delegation departing for the United States of America (USA) for negotiations on a multi-million-dollar compact under the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
The delegation is made up of 14 people, composed of government officials from various ministries, including the Ministry of Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães and his team, Vice Minister of Finance Ministry, António Freitas, the representative from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MEJD), General Director Antoninho Pires, the representative from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture (MESSC), General Director Maria Fernanda Lay, President of Bee Timor-Leste (BTL,E.P), Carlos dos Reis Peloi, the National Executive Director of Compact Development Team Timor-Leste (CDT-TL), and Ambassador Constancio Pinto and his team.
The delegation will be in Washington, D.C, from 7-17 April 2022. The Minister of Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães said: “The purpose of the mission is to negotiate the MCC compact agreement for Timor-Leste. The negotiations will begin on april 11, 2022, and are expected to be concluded by april 17, 2022. We are expecting an outcome from the negotiation which would lead to the signing of the Compact Agreement between Timor-Leste and the United States of America,” said Magalhães.
The Council of Ministers delegated the Full Power to Minister Magalhães to negotiate and sign the Compact Agreement with the United State of America’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
The investment will focus on two main Compact projects, namely the Water Sanitation and Drainage (WSD) project which includes the disinfection of national waters, sewage, drainage systems, the strengthening of institutions and regulatory bodies, and the creation of a solid supply of water and sewage for domestic use that complies with the most advanced engineering and procedures at an international level, and the Education Project which will include a New Center of Excellence for the training of new teachers which would guaranty quality and leadership standards.
This five years’ assistance package is estimated at US$484.000.000,00, which consists of US$ 420.000.000,00 made available by the MCC, together with US$64.000.000,00 contribution made available by the Government of Timor-Leste.
Related news: MCC concludes a two-week mission to advance TL’s compact program
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
