DILI, 18 november 2024 (TATOLI) – The staff of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) today attend the five-day training on legal instruments focused on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The training took place from the 18th to the 22nd at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Praia dos Coqueiros, Dili.
The Vice Minister of ASEAN Affairs, Milena Rangel, on the opening training said that currently Timor-Leste is the observer of ASEAN and will become a full member of ASEAN in 2025; therefore, this training is one of the preparations on how to align and adapt ASEAN’s program, especially for the AEC.
“Hope that with this training the staff of MCI will understand the legal instruments of AEC and WTO to align ASEAN’s program as one roadmap that Timor-Leste must fulfill before becoming a full member of ASEAN in 2025,’’ said Rangel.
She said under this database, ASEAN Legal Instruments are recorded under the three ASEAN Community Pillars, namely: ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC), for easy identification. The categorization is based on the ASEAN Sectorial Ministerial Body/ies that is responsible for the development and implementation of the specific instrument and does not aim to define whether or not the specific instrument is a political, economic, or socio-cultural agreement.
Therefore, Vice Minister of ASEAN Affairs Rangel highlighted that this five-day training is very crucial for the MCI’s staff as the lesson learned to align the ASEAN economy and the WTO as the benefit to Timor–Leste’s economic growth in the future.
At the same place, the Minister of MCI, Nino Filipus Pereira, asked all MCI staff to take this occasion to focus on the training they can implement in Timor–Leste.
“This training is very important; therefore, I ask all staff to focus on this training because after this you will become the vocal to transform the knowledge and all information to our private sector on how to align the AEC and WTO in diversifying Timor-Leste’s economic growth in the future,’’ he concluded.
The five-day training on legal instruments on the AEC and WTO was facilitated by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs (MCAE), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MoFAC).
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
