Dili, June 16, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The government, through the Secretary of State for Cooperatives (SEKoop), will organize an ASEAN-level event featuring cooperative activities that will take place in the near future.
In an interview, the Secretary of State for Cooperatives, Arsénio Pereira da Silva, stated that SEKoop will organize an ASEAN-level event, where economic cooperative activities will bring together cooperative groups to showcase and demonstrate the services they have been implementing locally. The event will also be attended by members of international cooperatives.
“We have already conducted a survey of local products that will be brought from the municipalities to participate in this event. ASEAN member countries will also bring their products to our country to take part in the event,” said Secretary Arsénio Pereira da Silva to journalists at Esperansa Delta Hall on Friday, June 13, 2025.
He added that this activity aims to encourage and motivate cooperative groups in Timor-Leste to increase production of local products in large quantities, enabling them to compete in the ASEAN market. He believes that Timor-Leste has abundant resources from natural resources to human capital, but the main issue lies in the lack of good organization among people.
“Our culture or character is such that we don’t listen to each other and fail to organize ourselves well compared to other countries like China. But through our failures, we can improve in the future. That’s why I urge all cooperative groups across the territory of Timor-Leste to collaborate with SEKoop so we can compete in the international market with our available products. For this reason, maximum participation from our cooperative groups and their products is essential in this event,” added the Secretary of State.
In October of this year, Timor-Leste officially became a permanent member of ASEAN. In this regard, SEKoop will invite governments from other ASEAN countries, particularly their cooperative sectors, to engage in dialogue. Depending on the products produced and presented at the ASEAN-level event, SEKoop will also work together with Malaysia’s Ministry of Cooperative Development to sign a memorandum of understanding.
“At the event, SEKoop will also sign an agreement with the Minister of Cooperative Development from Malaysia, including cooperative members with relevant products, to establish a direct partnership. This will allow Timor-Leste’s products to be exported to Malaysia, and in return, Malaysian products to be brought to Timor to complement each other in the region. The government has policies and good programs in place to facilitate cooperative group members, with the aim of boosting the domestic economy,” explained Arsénio Pereira da Silva.
To clarify further, this event organized by SEKoop aims to stimulate economic growth and contribute to Timor-Leste’s development, as the government already has annual plans and programs to boost the national economy. There has been recent progress driven by increased economic participation and rising awareness of local products. This is especially important now that Timor-Leste has just become a permanent member of ASEAN.
Reported by: Domingas
Photo by: Media Officer SEKoop