DILI, 12 January 2024– The ASEAN Secretariat, with support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), conducted the third and fourth clusters of the Capacity Building Programme (CBP) for Timor-Leste’s Accession to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) agreements.
The event took place in Dili, Timor-Leste, from 9 – 12 January, with the third cluster CBP focusing on ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement, while the fourth cluster centered on ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services, ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement, ASEAN Agreement on the Movement of Natural Persons, and other related services instruments and obligations. Approximately 60 officials from various economic-related ministries and agencies in Timor-Leste attended the CBP Cluster III and IV.
The opening session of the CBP was graced by Vice Minister of ASEAN Affairs of Timor-Leste Milena Maria da Costa Rangel, and Country Director of ADB Timor-Leste Resident Mission, Stefania Dina. The session also featured pre-recorded remarks delivered by the Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community Department, Satvinder Singh. Vice Minister of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste Augosto Junior Trindade, as well as the representatives of the ASEAN Member States’ embassies in Dili, were also in attendance.
The CBP’s training resource hailed from the ASEAN Secretariat and experts from Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines and Singapore. This further underscored the commitment of the ASEAN Member States to support Timor-Leste’s successful integration into the AEC agreements.
The training also provided an opportunity for Timor-Leste to share their national investment and services regimes and possible implementation of ASEAN investment and national services agreements in their national laws. At the end of the training session, a wrap-up session, involving key participants from the four clusters of CBP was conducted to reflect overall key takeaways, and identify way forward for ASEAN to support Timor-Leste in its accession journey.
The CBP represents an important milestone in Timor-Leste’s journey towards accession to the AEC agreements, and in achieving the milestones of the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in ASEAN. It equips officials with the necessary knowledge and skills to fully participate in ASEAN’s economic integration initiatives.
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