Geneva, Switzerland, 8 July 2026 - On the margins of the Sixty-Eighth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Minister of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Mr. Nino Pereira, Minister of Commerce and Industry, accompanied by the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, H.E. Mr. António da Conceição, held a courtesy meeting with the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, at ITC Headquarter to discuss ongoing cooperation and future priorities.

Minister Nino Pereira expressed the Government's appreciation for ITC's continuous support to Timor-Leste, particularly through the 𝗘𝗨 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻, which have contributed to intellectual property development, WTO and ASEAN integration and trade negotiations. He also requested ITC's continued support for the implementation of these initiatives and sought assistance to facilitate the participation of Timorese MSMEs in the China-ASEAN Expo to expand their access to regional markets.

Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton congratulated Timor-Leste on its successful accession to the WTO and integration into ASEAN, emphasizing that these milestones create important opportunities for sustainable economic growth. She reaffirmed ITC's commitment to supporting Timor-Leste's development priorities, including MSME development, participation in CAEXPO, implementation of the Manufacturing Action Plan, and continued engagement through initiatives such as SCOPE program funded by the European Union, while both sides agreed to maintain close cooperation in advancing Timor-Leste's trade and economic development agenda.