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Indonesia, Timor Leste agree cooperation in human resource development
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Economic talks – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (center), accompanied by Industry Minister Saleh Husin (right) and Creative Economy Agency head Triawan Munaf, meet with Indonesian creative economy players at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta recently. (Tempo/-)
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ndonesia and Timor Leste have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in developing human resources for the industrial sector in the two countries.
The agreement is part of the 2013-2017 human resources partnership contract worth US$ 6 million between Indonesia and Timor Leste. Some programs already started are human resources development in the field of wedding organizing, food processing and handcrafts.
"From 2011 to 2016, our industrial development agencies have provided 15 human resource capacity building training sessions. We hope this MoU will push for more industrial development programs in both countries," Industry Minister Saleh Husin said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Following the MoU signing, Indonesia and Timor Leste will set up technical committees and hold a survey to identify the needs for the programs.
"We will further evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of the program," the ministry’s director general for international industry access development, Achmad Sigit Dwiwahjono, said on Wednesday.
Timor Leste’s main commodity is oil and as such its economy has suffered from the global decline in oil prices, thus it is currently looking for more sustainable development models. The non-oil economy is now at the beginning stage in the country.
"We have launched our sustainable development plan and it means there will be economic diversification. Timor Leste is currently at the early stage of an industrial country and human resources are the prerequisite for that," Timor Leste’s Trade, Industry and Environment Minister Constancio da Conceicao Pinto said.
The minister further said industrial reform was important because currently, Timor Leste was applying to join ASEAN. The Indonesian government was ready to give its support for Timor Leste’s ASEAN membership but some concerns, including the country’s economic development must be first resolved.
"We need to make sure our country can compete to attract investors and carry out reforms needed to speed up our ASEAN membership approval and I want to thank the Indonesian government for its support for our membership," Pinto said. (ebf)
