Timor-Leste
A year of reform, engagement and ambition
Ambassador António da Conceição is Timor-Leste's Permanent Representative at the WTO. Ambassador da Conceição reflects on the country's progress since joining the WTO.
Ambassador António da Conceição is Timor-Leste's Permanent Representative at the WTO. Ambassador da Conceição reflects on the country's progress since joining the WTO.
When we joined the WTO in 2024, we knew we were taking on significant commitments. So, we built a roadmap: our Post-Accession Strategy and Implementation Plan.
Following accession, our main priority has been aligning our national framework with the realities of modern global trade. That means looking carefully at our legislation, institutions and procedures, and making sure they match the commitments we have undertaken and what we want to achieve.
And this has kicked off transformation at home?
Absolutely. The pace of change has been remarkable.
On the regulatory front, we are fast-tracking key laws under our legislative action plan. We have already approved a government resolution on rules of origin, and we have draft laws ready on competition policy, export promotion and industrial property. These are essential tools for building a competitive economy.
We have also set up new administrative procedures for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, including providing a reasonable period for comments on proposed SPS measures. It is a big step for transparency and predictability.
And we have been building technical infrastructure. In September 2025, we launched a brand-new website for the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, which includes a dedicated page for our WTO membership. We also introduced a Trade Information Portal, giving local traders practical information to navigate international markets.
Have these reforms helped you stay on track with your WTO obligations?
Of course. For example, we are fully up to date on applied tariff and import licensing requirements. We are also making steady progress on our trade facilitation notifications.
The real secret has been our mindset: learning-by-doing. We listen, we ask questions, we engage actively. And it is paying off.
A highlight for us this year was becoming the first LDC ever to begin negotiations to join the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). This milestone came after targeted national workshops with strong support from development partners. We are now finalizing the legal mandate to establish an inter-ministerial technical working group on GPA accession, which we expect to be in place by the end of 2025. We aim to submit our market access offer by mid-2026.
What about other initiatives?
We are also exploring the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement and the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce. Our message is simple: Timor-Leste wants to be an active and constructive player in the multilateral trading system.
It sounds like 2025 has been an important year for Timor-Leste.
The year has been defined by two major national priorities that have moved forward in parallel: our full integration into the WTO and our accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which we completed in October 2025.
This required a whole-of-government effort – intense, coordinated and very focused. We see WTO and ASEAN memberships as mutually reinforcing, providing long-term stability and a strong foundation for our economic development and regional integration.
We remain fully committed to the multilateral trading system and to implementing our WTO commitments responsibly and effectively. And we know that the journey will require continued efforts and strong partnerships. The path ahead is long, and we continue to advance with confidence – with all WTO members as partners.