Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes concerning Grant Aid to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste "Food Assistance Programme”
On November 21 (on the same day local time), in Dili, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, H.E. Mr. KIMURA Tetsuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, and Mr. Amin SAID, Deputy Country Director and Officer-in-Charge of the World Food Programme in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, signed and exchanged notes for the Grant Aid "Food Assistance Programme” (grant provision of 100 million yen).
- East Timor has a stunting rate among children under five of approximately 47% (World Bank, 2020), which is among the highest levels globally. In addition, recent increases in production costs and delayed harvests due to irregular rainfall patterns have severely impacted the country’s food security, including sustainable agriculture, making procurement and securing food an urgent priority.
- This cooperation aims to support school feeding program in Timor-Leste by providing the government with funds to procure food through WFP.
(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 1.36 million people (World Bank, 2023). It has a per capita gross national income (GNI) of US$2,140 (World Bank, 2023).