- UK to boost health collaboration with Timor-Leste with launch of new UK-UNICEF Health Programme.
- Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan to reiterate UK support for Timor-Leste's upcoming accession to The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- She will also attend a UN Women event, enabled by ASEAN-wide UK funding, to promote women's participation in security, conflict resolution and development policy.
To enhance UK-Timor-Leste collaboration on health and development, UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan will arrive in Timor-Leste today (Friday 29 September) for a three-day visit. The visit will be the first by a UK minister since Timor-Leste gained independence in 2002.
Minister Trevelyan will hold high-level talks with Timorese counterparts including President Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas. Discussions will focus on opportunities to deepen cooperation between the two countries on health and development, including through a UK-UNICEF Health Programme to help combat child malnutrition which the Minister will launch during her visit.
Supported by £1 million of UK government funding, the programme will train community volunteers and establish support groups to encourage and advise parents on healthy food practices.
Minister Trevelyan will also attend a Women in Leadership event co-organised by the Government of Timor-Leste and UN Women. This event is supported by UK funding to UN Women, part of a wider £3.2m UK-ASEAN programme announced earlier this year. The programme will promote women's roles in peace and security initiatives throughout Southeast Asia.
The visit comes in an important year for Timor-Leste, as it accedes to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the foremost political and economic bloc in the region. Minister Trevelyan will reiterate the UK's sustained support for Timor-Leste's accession, with the UK having become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 2021. Southeast Asia is a global centre of economic growth and prosperity, and the UK's engagement as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner supports the Prime Minister's priority to grow the economy.
Ahead of the visit, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
As an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, the UK continues to work closely with partners across Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific to secure sustainable peace and prosperity in the region and address the challenges of the future
On my first visit to Timor-Leste, I look forward to discussing opportunities to enhance our bilateral relationship and collaboration on shared health and development priorities.
We remain steadfast in our support of Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN as a key partner on the global stage." The UK's increased engagement with Timor-Leste demonstrates its long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, in line with the Integrated Review Refresh published in March 2023.
In addition to development cooperation, the UK is supporting Timor-Leste to maintain regional stability, with Royal Navy vessel HMS Spey visiting Dili in August 2023.
