DILI, 16 january 2025 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste, through the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (MCAE) and the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment (MTB) held discussions on the strategic plan for the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) accession protocol.
WTO Technical Coordinator in Timor-Leste, Jorge Martins said that the event aimed to bring together the technical teams from the Authority of Inspection and Supervision of Economic, Sanitary, and Food Activities, I.P. (AIFAESA, I.P.) and Institute for the Quality of Timor-Leste (IQTL), to discuss the food safety strategic plan.
“In line with our commitment to join the WTO, we need to improve infrastructure, the law and human resources training. We also need to set up a food quality and safety testing laboratory,” Martins said in Dili.
Martins also emphasized the importance of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). These agreements aim to reduce trade barriers. The TBT Agreement focuses on technical regulations, while the SPS Agreement focuses on health and safety measures.
AIFAESA’s Inspector General, Odete da Silva Viegas, said that AIFAESA has allocated US$250,000 to set up a Food Quality and Safety Testing Laboratory in Tibar to test and control food quality in the country.
Viegas pledges to work in collaboration with the Customs Authority to inspect imported food at the land borders.
In February 2024, Timor-Leste officially became a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the WTO’s 13th ministerial meeting, in Abu Dhabi.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
