Timor-Leste

New Zealand works with Timor-Leste to support the development of a sustainable and growing economy. Together we're focused on private sector development, education and training, security and justice.

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New Zealand works with Timor-Leste to support the development of a sustainable and growing economy. Together we're focused on private sector development, education and training, and security and justice.

Shared vision

New Zealand and Timor-Leste have signed a Statement of Partnership [PDF, 347 KB]. This sets out the shared principles, priorities and understandings that will guide cooperation and engagement between New Zealand and Timor-Leste for the period 2022-2026.

What we're supporting

We're working closely with the Timor-Leste Government and other partners to deliver effective aid activities.

Priority	Activities and outcomes
Agriculture Increase economic and food security benefits from agriculture	Supporting five-year, $14.4 million activity through National Cooperative Business Association/Cooperativa Cafe Timor to improve the production of coffee (both arabica and robusta) and cacao for rural farmers. It is expected that by end of the activity there will be around 6,000 coffee farms rehabilitated and 2,631 new coffee and cocoa farms established.
Fisheries Increase economic and food security benefits from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture	Supporting a $6 million five-year activity to strengthen aquaculture capability to meet nutrition, food security and income generation targets with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and NIWA.
Education Improve knowledge, skills and basic education	Improving access to, and the quality of, early childhood education through partnerships with the Timorese Ministry of Education, UNICEF and Grow Human Resources International Ltd through investments: of $12 million over five years to improve teacher training and support, learning materials and facilities, and parent education of $1.9 million across two districts to improve learning and development outcomes of 5,200 children and 2,000 parents in proven early childhood education models that can be replicated nationally.
Law and justice Strengthen law and justice systems	Promoting safe and secure communities through a five-year,$14 million Timor-Leste Community Policing Support Programme including: two New Zealand Police advisors and The Asia Foundation providing mentoring and capacity development support to the Timor-Leste National Police construction of police housing in 14 sucos (villages) to enable police to live and work within communities.

Recent achievements

Priority	Achievement
Agriculture Increase economic and food security benefits from agriculture	Our coffee/cacao activity has: created around 5,500 new jobs rehabilitated 1,887 hectares of coffee plantation established 916 cocoa and robusta coffee farms trained 3,503 farmers in coffee bean production improvements and established 53 small and medium enterprises.
Fisheries Increase economic and food security benefits from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture	Our aquaculture activity has: established 200 small and micro enterprises achieved between 1.3-1.7 tonnes/hectare productivity in tilapia fishponds and distributed nearly 1 million fingerlings of Gift tilapia from the Gleno hatchery to farmers in 11 Municipalities.
Education Improve knowledge, skills and basic education	Our early childhood education activity has: trained 857 teachers delivered learning materials to 307 pre-schools and established 120 new community-based preschools in rural areas. Our Lafaek activity distributed magazines to 100,000 pre-schools and Grade 1-2 three times in 2016/17. A similar magazine reached 10,000 teachers per edition and a community magazine reached around 80,000 households per edition providing information on parenting, nutrition, hygiene, small business and financial literacy. In 2016, 25 scholars graduated with tertiary qualifications in New Zealand and returned to Timor-Leste to apply skills learnt.
Law and justice Strengthen law and justice systems	Our community policing programme has: provided community policing awareness training to 1,257 police trained 415 Suku (Village) Police Officers in community policing reporting trained 15 police trainers to establish a community policing training team supported the establishment of 167 Community Policing Councils, 12 Municipality Security Councils and 1 Regional Security Council developed policies for Suku Police Officers, Municipal Security Councils, Community Policing Councils, and Police Housing.

Key documents

An info-graphic showing total monetary aid for Timor Leste. .

Shared vision

What we're supporting

Recent achievements

Key documents

Related articles

Where our funding goes

Timor-Leste