Press Releases
Signing and Exchange of Notes concerning Grant Aid to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste "the Economic and Social Development Programme"
On December 11 (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 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 Economic and Social Development Programme" (grant provision of 440 million yen).
- In Timor-Leste, challenges exist in the quality of road infrastructure and maintenance capacity, due to insufficient technology and expertise for road construction and maintenance, leading to roads being frequently damaged. Particularly in rural areas, road damage has become a regular occurrence during the rainy season, severely impacting residents' mobility, logistics, and the local economy.
- Under this programme, Japan will provide road maintenance equipment (road cutter and asphalt finisher, etc.) for Timor-Leste in order to repair aging roads and those repeatedly damaged by natural disasters during the rainy season. By enhancing the country's capacity to maintain and manage roads as its fundamental infrastructure, it will support to develop the disaster-resilient road systems in the country.
(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).