State Administration of Timor-Leste

A message from the Minister for State Administration and Territorial Management, H.E. Dr Archangelo Leite:

Dear Friends of Timor-Leste,

Welcome to the Government of Timor-Leste page on the Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network website. This website has been endorsed by Friendship groups and the Government of Timor-Leste as the principle means for communicating between Friendship groups and with the Government of Timor-Leste.

The Government of Timor-Leste continues to warmly welcome the involvement of its Australian Friends groups in the many projects they have undertaken across Timor-Leste over the past decade. These acts by local community groups have strengthened the bonds of Friendship that firmly tie our two nations together.

While the projects that are undertaken by Friendship groups may be small, they are all important and are deeply valued by the people and government of Timor-Leste. Indeed, while many aid agencies talk about it, the Friendship movement puts into practice the principles of grass-roots and participatory development. We walk, and work, together.

A very important aspect of the work undertaken by the Friendship groups is that it is almost entirely undertaken outside Dili, in the districts, aldeias and the sucos where most Timorese live. We all need to do more to improve the lives of Timorese living in the aldeias and sucos, by moving people and resources out to the districts. The Friendship movement has already done this.

The Australia Timor-Leste Friendship movement was started soon after Timor-Leste’s historic vote for independence. Over the decade since, Timor-Leste has grown and developed, in part due to the help of our Friends. We have greatly valued the past decade of Friendship and now look forward to the next decade of Friendship, and beyond.

In Friendship,

Archangelo Leite
Ministry, State Administration
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste