
The National Directorate for Rural Development (DNDR), formerly under the Ministry of Economy and Development (MED), dissolved by the V Constitutional Government, held on 12th October, in the Dili-STAE Hall, a general meeting regarding the integration of DNDR-MED into the Ministry of State Administration (MAE), which was attended by the Minister of State Administration, Secretary of State for Local Development, President of Public Service Commission (PCFP), General Director of MAE, National Director of Planning, Assessment and External Cooperation and National Director of Local Development, General Inspector of the Office of General Inspection and Internal Audit, DNDR Acting Director and its 114 civil servants.
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Dili, 10 October 2012 - The newly formed Secretary of State for Local Development, an agency of the V Constitutional Government under the Ministry of State Administration, visit the 13 Districts on September-October-November in order to introduce and promote the program and policies of the V Constitutional Government, regarding to the promotion of local and rural development.
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On 1st October, the Secretary of State for Administrative Decentralization and Secretary of State for Local Development traveled to Manatuto, invited by Manatuto District Administration, to meet with the District Administrator and Local Authorities, the Community Leaders, the CCI and ASSEMAT Structures, and the Local Businessmen.
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Representatives from UNDP-UNCDF, the Government of Timor-Leste and the donor community visited Baucau to see firsthand the success of the joint UNCDF-UNDP Local Governance Support Programme in the district.
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>In the rural and remote Leohono village of Ossu sub-district in Viqueque located about 150 kilometers east of the Timor-Leste capital Dili, Mr. Mano Bosi (not his real name), knows the difficulty of accessing basic government services in a young nation where the state machinery is stretched to the limit and key services—and resources—are available mostly in the big city.
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On Friday 9 October hundreds of thousands of Timorese citizens were expected to vote for Community Leadership Elections in each of the 442 Sucos, from 7am to 15pm.
Last Community Leadership Elections took place in 2004 and 2005. Today, the candidates are standing for positions as suco chiefs and members of suco council, for a six years mandate.
These elections are important as Suco Council is very important to resolve disputes and find solutions to community problems which are often solved through community leaders.
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The Spanish Government through the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) held a ceremony on 01 October 2009 at Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE), which is under the Ministry of State Administration and Territorial Management, regarding the support provided for the strengthening of the voter education activities taking place in preparation for 2009 Community (Suco) Leaders Elections in Timor-Leste.
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Today, Ballot Papers were handed to all STAE District Coordinators and PNTL District Commander at a Ceremony held at Gráfica Nacional.
The Ceremony was opened with the remarks of Dr. Dr. Florindo Pereira Secretary of State Administrative Reform, Mr. Longuinhos Monteiro General Commander of PNTL, Dr. Faustino Cardoso CNE President. All the above participants underlined the importance of Community Leadership Elections 2009 as a key step for the development of democracy in Timor-Leste.
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The Government of Japan held a signing ceremony on 24 September 2009 at Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) for the Project for Strengthening Voter Education Activities for Community Leaders Elections 2009 in Timor-Leste.
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From 7 to 9 August, Mr. David Morrison, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), visited Timor-Leste for the first time since he joined UNCDF in July 2008.
Read Full Press Release Online (English | Tetun) - or - Download PDF (Portuguese)On 23 July the population from the village of Fatuhada celebrated the opening of their new village office.
At the inauguration were present the Minister of State Administration and Territorial Management, Dr. Arcangelo Leite, the District Administrator from Dili, Mr. Rubem Braz, the village chief, Mr. Justino Monis G. Leite and more than two hundred people that are currently living at the village among teachers and NGOs members. Read Full Press Release Online (English)

Voter Registration, information technology equipments, capacity of human resources to use the technique and country's topography to implement the voter registration has become more crucial for all Election Administrator Bodies around the world. Without a proper voter registrations and a unique technique to handle the election registration processes can become a political disastrous for the country. Read Full Press Release Online (English)
In 2009, the Government is planning to prepare districts to become municipalities. This process is decentralization, or moving some work from the central level to the local level. The process will begin after the National Parliament approves laws that will regulate how to establish a local government system. The government has been working since 2003, however to prepare the nation for the decentralization process, and will continue to work to ensure that the municipalities, in the future, are a strong mechanism for development in Timor-Leste. Read the fact sheet: (PDF: Tetun Only).
The Minister of State Administration and Territorial Management (MSATM) on Friday, 27 February 2009, officially inaugurated the Suco (Village) Office of Uma Boco in the Natarbora Sub-District of Manatuto, and also held a meeting with community leaders. The construction of the Suco Office cost US$7,000, and though the project was contracted to the community, the project was implemented and completed well – an indication that the local community has a strong commitment to improve their sub-district, especially their Suco, Uma Boco. The Suco Office was built as the center of the Suco Administration and to facilitate the work and the administration of the local authorities as they address the needs of the community, organize meetings of the Suco Council, and organize other social activities.
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Vendors in the Same Market in Manufahi were presented with a new market building on Friday, February 20, during a ceremony attended by Minister of State Administration and Territorial Management Arcângelo Leite. The building was officially handed over to the Same Market Management Committee from the Manufahi District Assembly, which voted to build the new market as part of Manufahi’s 2008 budget for the Local Development Programme. Read Full Press Release Online (English | Tetun) - or - Download PDF (English | Tetun)
19 February 2009
The Council of Ministers agreed on February 18, 2009, after a long discussion, to submit law proposals on the establishment of local government to the National Parliament. The Council of Ministers had already approved last week a law proposal on Administrative and Territorial Division and yesterday approved two more law proposals on Local Government and Municipal Elections. Together, these three law proposals are an important step in the decentralization process and establishment of municipalities.
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Download the law proposals submitted to National Parliament (Portuguese Only) in the Policy Section.
Today, 2 February 2009, the Minister of State Administration and Territorial Management, Dr. Arcângelo Leite, confirmed the Government’s commitment to decentralization through the announcement of the funds allocated to the Local Development Programme (LDP) in 2009.
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