DILI, 14 November 2025 (TATOLI – Timor-Leste has called for stronger global cooperation, sustainable financing, and renewed multilateral commitment during the 38th plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where it commended the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for its leadership amid rising global challenges.
In a statement delivered by Dionisio Da Costa Babo Soares, Timor-Leste’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he expressed Timor-Leste’s appreciation to ECOSOC President Ambassador Bob Rae of Canada and congratulated Lok Bahadur Thapa of Nepal on his election as the new Council President.
Timor-Leste welcomed the 2025 ECOSOC Report and the World Social Report 2025, stating that both documents highlight widening socio-economic inequalities and remind the international community that “the promise of the 2030 Agenda remains unfulfilled for too many, particularly for the world’s least developed countries.”
He emphasized that the financial stability of the United Nations is a collective responsibility. Soares said 142 Member States, including Timor-Leste, have paid their regular budget assessments in full. Despite this, the UN entered 2025 with a severe liquidity shortfall, prompting austerity measures and a proposed 15 percent cut to the 2026 regular budget, declining from about US$3.7 billion in 2025 to US$3.2 billion.
He said these constraints “affect not only the functioning of ECOSOC but also the entire UN system,” including peacekeeping, humanitarian operations, and the coordination of sustainable development programs.
Timor-Leste urged all Member States to meet their financial obligations “in full and on time,” stressing that “reliable financing is not a gesture of generosity; it is the foundation of multilateral trust and shared responsibility.”
As a Least Developed Country, Timor-Leste welcomed the 2025 Report of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) and supported stronger frameworks for LDC graduation and post-graduation monitoring. It acknowledged the progress of countries such as Bhutan and São Tomé and Príncipe while noting that global crises, climate impacts, debt distress, and market volatility continue to place pressure on vulnerable economies.
Timor-Leste outlined its domestic priorities, including investments in human capital, poverty reduction, education, and climate resilience. It highlighted its Nationally Determined Contribution (2022–2030) and the forthcoming UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2026–2030), which aim to build “a diversified, low-carbon economy based on sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and inclusive growth.”
Soares also voiced Timor-Leste support for ongoing negotiations toward a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, calling it “a milestone initiative toward a fairer, more inclusive global tax architecture.” Strengthening tax cooperation, it said, will help developing countries mobilize domestic resources essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Looking ahead to the midterm review of the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs, Timor-Leste urged ECOSOC to “champion a new approach, one that transforms vulnerability into resilience.” The country reaffirmed its strong commitment to multilateralism and to the shared UN promise “to leave no one behind.”
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
