DILI, 12 February 2025 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste, on Wednesday, held Roundtable Discussions with Development Partners and Donors on the WTO Post-Accession Workshop, at the Dili Convention Center.
The discussions center on “Maximizing Benefits from WTO Membership and Creating Greater Synergies with Regional Integration as a Pathway to Achieving Timor-Leste’s 2030 Development Goals.”
In his remarks, Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu—Minister of Transport and Communications, Interim Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, and Minister for Tourism and Environment of Timor-Leste—highlighted the need for legislative and institutional reforms to fully realize the benefits of WTO membership.
“Timor-Leste is committed to finalizing and operationalizing its Legislative Action Plan (LAP), ensuring alignment with WTO obligations,” said Minister Manetelu.
He stressed that critical reforms in competition policy, services regulation, and trade facilitation will be instrumental in enhancing compliance and economic efficiency.
Minister Manetelu also touched on the importance of strengthening technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives: “With the continued support of the WTO and our development partners, we can equip our institutions, and private sector with the necessary expertise, to navigate global trade. Investing in human capital, and institutional capacity, will be crucial in driving trade-led growth.”
Manetelu emphasized, “As we advance our integration into ASEAN, we must ensure that our WTO obligations complement regional trade agreements. Strengthening connections with ASEAN economies will enable us to participate in global value chains, enhance cooperation, and foster economic resilience.”
He said that the success of Timor-Leste post-accession strategy depends on strong partnerships between the government and development partners, adding effective coordination among development partners will ensure that support is structured, targeted, and results-driven: “Establishing robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms will allow us to measure progress and address challenges proactively.”
Manetelu said: “With the support of the development partners, we can transform WTO membership into a catalyst for economic progress—creating jobs, fostering innovation, and strengthening our role in regional and global trade.”
Meanwhile WTO Deputy Director-General, Ambassador Xiangchen Zhang, encouraged Timor-Leste to make full use of WTO post-accession support, including accession implementation strategies, technical assistance, capacity-building, and policy advice.
He said the WTO’s post-accession support is designed to help new WTO members integrate effectively into the trading system, “ensuring that they can implement WTO commitments in ways that support their broader economic and development goals, whether in the areas of trade facilitation, agricultural policy, services trade, or intellectual property protection.”
Zhang therefore said that the WTO Secretary is ready to help Timor-Leste navigate the next phase of its economic transformation.
TATOLI
