DILI, 18 october 2022 (TATOLI) – UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, today, met with the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta at the Presidential Palace to discuss priorities for investment in the country.
“I am very pleased to be here. It is my first official visit to Timor-Leste and I had the privilege this morning to meet President Horta. We discuss a number of things that are very important for the future of Timor-Leste, which is going to be the main priorities for investment,” Wignaraja told reporters after meeting the Head of State at the Palace of the President, today.
She said UNDP agreed with the President’s point of view to invest more in education in the country.
“UNDP agrees and supports the need to invest more in education in the country. And this is also heard by people and communities across the country,” she said.
Wignaraja noted that the push for ASEAN and WTO membership will open opportunities for Timor-Leste to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country.
“I think the important areas of attracting FDI is to make sure there is a strong rule of law, legal reform, and judicial capacity in the country. But also, to invest in people’s capacity,” she said.
Wignaraja said Timor-Leste is a young country that has invested well in physical infrastructure, adding that the country also needs to invest more in human and social infrastructure: “It is very much what will drive the future of this country forward.”
Earlier, Munkhtuya Altangerel, UNDP Resident Representative in Timor-Leste said UNDP has been in the country for over 20 years and has supported Timor-Leste in three main pillars of development – economic development and poverty reduction, governance and institutional development, and environmental and climate change resilience.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
