RESTRICTED  
  
JOB/ACC/TLS/3  
 
8 December 2020  
(20-8882) Page: 1/3 
Working Party on the Accession of Timor -Leste  Original: English  
 
 
ACCESSION OF TIMOR -LESTE  
OPENING STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. JOAQUIM AMARAL,  
COORDINATING MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS  AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR ON WTO 
ACCESSION  OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF  TIMOR -LESTE  
Round Table with Development Partners  
Dili, 26 November 2020  
1. First of all, on behalf of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor -Leste and as the 
Chief Negotiator for Timor -Leste’s accession to the WTO, I would like to thank the WTO Secretariat 
for organizing this very im portant meeting with our esteemed WTO Members and Development 
Partners.  
2. Before I deliver my statement, please allow me to apologize for keep postponing some of the 
very important meeting agendas that had been scheduled by the WTO Secretariat. This year,  the 
Government has presented two General State Budgets to the National Parliament, namely , the 
General State Budget for 2020 and 2021 which are focusing on our national Economic Recovery 
Plan. Therefore, this has been a quite busy year for Timor -Leste.  
3. As we are all aware, it has been very difficult times for many countries around the world during 
the year of 2020 due to the C OVID -19 pandemic. However, COVID -19 is also bringing a new 
paradigm into the world economy, including Timor -Leste’s responses and its national strategic 
economic approaches. Despite this challenge, this has also been a very crucial year for the 
Government of Timor -Leste with its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), as Timor -
Leste finally completed and submitted its Legis lative Action Plan to  the WTO, received official 
Indicative Roadmap on the A ccession Process from the WTO Secretariat, key Ministries participated 
in a number of very important training sessions from WTO’s Secretariat, and most importantly, 
Timor -Leste attended its First Working Party meeting with all the Members of the WTO as a historical 
moment for our country. Subsequent  to this important event, Timor -Leste has now progressed from 
the Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime ( MFTR ) document to the Factual Summary  of Points 
Raised  document for its next Working Party meeting.  
4. Timor -Leste applied for WTO membership in 2015 and accordingly obtained its observer status 
in 2016. Timor -Leste has been working intensively in its accession process according to the 
established WTO Accession I ndicative Roadmap, despite some key areas of trade and economic 
reforms that need to be stre ngthened, especially institutional capacity building and other key related 
areas. During the accession process, as a Least Developed Country (LDC), we believe that it will 
give better opportunities for Timor -Leste to prepare itself before obtaining its ful l membership in the 
WTO.  
5. Timor -Leste assigns a top priority to WTO membership, as it would help to leverage the on -
going improvements in its infrastructure, human capital and administrative capacity, and to 
accelerate growth and economic diversification .  
6. As I highlighted during the Frist Working Party meeting, Timor -Leste is committed to WTO 
membership and there is a strong political will, across all partisan lines, in support of implementation 
of domestic structural, legislative and policy reforms n eeded to comply with its future WTO 
commitments, to be defined in accordance with Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing JOB/ACC/TLS/3  
 
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  the World Trade Organization. This commitment is supported by the objectives of Timor -Leste's 
domestic economic and trade policy.  
7. In conjunction with today’s meeting, we have organized a very important Coordination 
Meeting with Development Partners in Dili, on 24 November 2020.  The meeting was a starting point 
for Timor -Leste to engage with our development partners by sharing the groundwork of Timor -
Leste’s accession process to WTO. During this meeting, I highlighted the key areas of cooperation 
and technical assistance. Essentially, this meeting was complementary to today’s meeting in which 
I believe that the WTO Secretar iat will work very closely with the development partners to support 
Timor -Leste accession process.  
8. As the Chief Negotiator representing our Government in Timor -Leste’s accession to WTO, I 
would like to express our deepest appreciation to all the Members  of WTO and development partners 
for all your cooperation and generous support to the ongoing technical assistance. During the 
accession process , as an LDC, Timor -Leste still requires more technical support from Members of 
the WTO and the development partners to ensure provision of a targeted and coordinated technical 
assistance that focuses on institutional capacity building that can cover all stages of the accession 
process, from the preparation of documentation to the setting up of the legislative in frastructure 
and enforcement mechanisms. There are a number of key technical areas that still require technical 
assistance such as to: 
• establish Timor -Leste  Aid for Trade Unit to support and assist on -going accession process;   
• conduct an intensive internal capacity building agenda for the national team working on 
the WTO accession process;  
• draft initial market access offer on goods (and revisions ) and the draft initial market access 
offer on services  (and revisions ); 
• support consolidation of replies  to questions  that emerged from Working Party meeting;  
• provide input and review of the Factual Summary of Points Raised;  
• provide technical support and advice to th e Chief Negotiator concerning the WTO accession 
process;  
• organize awareness raising consultation at the national level to explain about the benefits 
of the WTO accession process and membership in the  WTO;  
• support to improve private sector development;  
• provide any other technical inputs, as instructed by the Government of Timor -Leste based 
on the evolving needs and priorities, to support the accession process of Timor -Leste;  
• establish a National Laboratory  for testing the quality of local products, plants, animal s 
and other testing purposes;  
• prepare and draft legislation  by senior legal advisors/consultants , as follows: Import 
Licensing  regulations , SPS Laws, Intellectual Property Law and other legislation as 
required.  
9. Timor -Leste has started to engage with the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), United 
Nations Office Project Services (UNOPS) and the WTO Secretariat in Geneva in discussing technical 
assistance from EIF as an LDC. Accordingly, Timor -Leste has  submitted a final proposal for further 
discussion and consideration, with a hope to be finalized and scheduled for approval by the end of 
this year. This process could provide a better perspective on how our partners, including 
distinguished participants present here today, can assist Timor -Leste during this very important 
stage.  
10. Accessions to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Association Southeast Asia Nations 
(ASEAN) are both strategic priorities for Timor -Leste . We have been managing and c oordinating 
these processes very well since the submission  of our application. WTO accession process is under 
the portfolio of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and the ASEAN  accession  is under the 
Portfolio of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. The WTO Secretariat and the Government 
of Timor -Leste are scheduling a High-Level Round Table on the Regional and Global Trade Integration 
of Timor -Leste which will focus on maximizing benefits from the ASEAN and WTO accessions as 
pathway to achieve Timor -Leste’s 2030 development goals. This High -Level meeting will specifically 
focus on examining the synergies in both accession processes and provide a platform for sharing 
experience with ASEAN  and WTO  members.  We have a spirit that if we c an progressively negotiate 
with the 164 Members of the WTO, it would also pave our way to accelerate our negotiation with the 
members of the ASEAN.  JOB/ACC/TLS/3  
 
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  11. Timor -Leste has very solid and committed negotiating teams that have been working on the 
WTO and ASEAN a ccession programs. The WTO Accession Negotiating Team is composed of the key 
Ministers and the Technical Working Group. There is also technical and support unit under the 
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs which provides technical support to the Ne gotiation Team.  
12. The Government of Timor -Leste through its Negotiating Team has been working to consolidate 
responses to Members 2nd round of questions, within the Indicative Roadmap, in light of Timor -
Leste’s 1st historical Working Party Meeting on 1st October this year. The next Working Party meeting 
is to be held in early next year, from which, two more Working Party meetings need to be held prior 
to Timor -Leste’s membership.  
13. Before I conclude my speech, ple ase allow me to express my profound gratitude and 
appreciation for your on -going cooperation and assistance . I hope that we could further strengthen 
our cooperation through your future assistance on Timor -Leste ’s WTO accession and membership 
status.  
 
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