National Policy for Climate Change (Government Resolution 8/2022)

This policy, approved by a governmental resolution, aims 1) to make Timor Leste more resilient, promoting the rights of its citizens to a healthy, ecologically balanced and humane environment, 2) reinforce capacity to cope to adverse effects of climate change, and 3) set the economy on the road to sustainable development. 

The main objective of this National Policy on Climate Change is to establish a clear statement according to which political principles and laws should be read and interpreted, through which mechanisms are established to clarify how the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste intends to respond to the climate change. The National Policy on Climate Change provides a common platform that brings together and reconciles for the first time the wide range of adaptation and mitigation policies that are currently in place in Timor-Leste across different economic sectors. This approach includes existing policy commitments in all major international and national policy documents for Timor-Leste, including the Strategic Development Plan 2011 - 2030, the Nationally Determined Contribution (CDNN), the National Adaptation Program of Action (PANA) , as well as a number of sector-specific policy documents.

The National Policy on Climate Change will thus strengthen coordination between ministries and ensure exemption from duplication and application of outdated policy measures. Establishing this clear policy statement also provides the basis on which future climate change policies (sectoral and cross-cutting) can be identified and prioritized. The National Policy on Climate Change also lays the groundwork for the future establishment of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Climate Change (EPANAC), which will help the government to effectively implement, finance and monitor the implementation of established policies. It is also envisaged that this National Policy for Climate Change and EPANAC will be supported through the establishment of a binding national legislative instrument, which will reinforce the basis on which climate change policies are implemented in Timor-Leste, including a legal mandate.

Through this policy, the Government of Timor-Leste will continue its development program to build a strong, low-carbon economy capable of managing the adverse impacts of climate change on our environment and our people, while adhering to the principles of sustainable development: “development based on effective environmental management that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the environmental balance and the ability of future generations to meet their needs as well” .