DILI, 22 january 2026 (TATOLI) – President José Ramos-Horta shared Timor-Leste’s vision to become a “plastic-free” and “carbon-free” nation during a high-level side event at the World Economic Forum.
The Head of State said the country’s environmental ambition is rooted in its unique ecological wealth and global responsibility.
Highlighting the country’s status as a global biodiversity hotspot, the President noted that Timor-Leste possesses the world’s richest marine life, surpassing even Raja Ampat with nearly 600 species of fish, and serving as a vital sanctuary for blue whales and dolphins. The Head of State underscored that protecting this “paradise” is not just a national priority, but a moral necessity for the international community.
Addressing the urgent need for a global plastics treaty, the President described plastic pollution as a systemic failure where developing nations are unfairly burdened.
“The irony, the tragedy of all of this, is that we have to pay for the harmful plastic that we have to buy because we need all these things,” President Ramos-Horta stated, calling for a binding treaty and taxes on producers of “nefarious plastic.”
Ramos-Horta emphasized that much of the debris on Timor’s shores is not locally generated but is dumped in the Indian Ocean by international vessels or carried by currents from neighboring regions, necessitating a global solution.
Turning to proven solutions, President Ramos-Horta presented the success of the “With One Seed” agroforestry program, which has already planted 800,000 tagged trees and paid millions of dollars in carbon credits directly to local families.
He said that Timor-Leste’s model of ecological restoration successfully combines environmental protection with food security and inclusive growth.
The President concluded with a call for global solidarity, inviting international partners to provide funding and technical expertise to help Timor-Leste expand these regenerative models to all municipalities.
TATOLI
