Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes concerning Grant Aid to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste "the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship”
July 24, 2025
On July 24 (on the same day local time), in Dili, Ms. IKUINA Akiko, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H.E. Mr. Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, signed and exchanged notes for the Grant Aid "the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship” (grant provision of up to 234 million yen).
- Timor-Leste has been making efforts toward reconstruction from conflicts and consolidation of peace since its independence in 2002. Timor-Leste will be admitted as an ASEAN Member State in October, and preparations are underway. In order to achieve the development goals and develop its economy and society with the view of joining ASEAN and the years ahead, it is necessary to promote and expand social services that benefit each and every citizen, and there is an urgent need to develop national institutions, systems and human resources to provide various services.
- This project will support up to eight young administrative officials who are expected to become future leaders of Timor-Leste to study in Japan's graduate schools in fiscal year 2026. It is expected that the human resources nurtured through this cooperation will contribute to solving development issues in Timor-Leste in various fields in the future, and will also contribute to mutual understanding and friendly relations between Japan and Timor-Leste as well as the building of human networks.
(Reference) Basic Data on the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
The country covers approximately 14,900 square kilometers (about the same size as the four metropolitan prefectures of Japan combined) and has a population of approximately 1.34 million people (National Census, 2022). It has a per capita gross national income (GNI) of US$1,980 (World Bank, 2022).