The Strategic Development Plan launched

The Secretary of State for the Council of Ministers and Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste Ágio Pereira

July 14, 2011
Díli, Timor-Leste

The Strategic Development Plan launched

The Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011 – 2030 has been launched by His Excellency Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão during the Timor-Leste Development Partners Meeting at the Díli Convention Centre.

The Prime Minister described the plan, recently endorsed by the National Parliament, as a document that sets a vision for the next two decades and marks the start of a bold new stage of development. He noted that the process of drafting the plan “was led by our people, belongs to our people and reflects the aspirations of our people.”

At its core, Mr Gusmão explained, the SDP is about delivering “the provision of better living conditions to the entire Timorese population, within a feasible and tangible period of time.” The plan focuses on three key industries: Agriculture, Tourism and Petroleum with a plan to improve agricultural productivity to achieve a goal of food security by 2020, strategies to leverage Timor-Leste’s natural beauty, rich history and cultural heritage to achieve the potential to develop tourism as a major industry, and pathways to maximise local participation and shared benefits flowing from growth in the petroleum sector. The plan also sets new economic policy directions to support private sector development and build the finance industry in Timor-Leste.

The Strategic Development Plan is available to download through the Government Website.

The TLDPM saw round table discussions on the three targeted growth sectors: Agriculture, Petroleum and Tourism, and three key supporting sectors: Infrastructure, the Social Sector including Education and Health and the sector of Banking, Finance and Investment. Development partners indicated where they can offer assistance that is aligned to the SDP. Luis Constantino declared in the Petroleum Round table that “The SDP presents a bold plan and the World Bank fully supports its objectives.”

The Prime Minister concluded his speech at the launch noting “We are aware that this is an ambitious plan and that the challenges inherent to its implementation are enormous. However, as leaders of this Nation and having extensive knowledge of the needs and yearnings of our People, we know this is a feasible and timely plan.”

The TLDPM concluded with the endorsement of the Díli Development Pact, a set of commitments on behalf of the Government and the Nation’s development partners to ensure the transition to a new paradigm in development engagement. This Díli Development Pact takes the global agreements on development partnerships and applies then to the country level in Timor-Leste.

ENDS

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