November 21, 2025 | The Secretariat of the ASEAN Governors and Mayors Forum (AGMF) convened a virtual meeting with the Dili Municipal Authority following Timor-Leste’s accession as the 11th Member State of ASEAN. Attended by Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi and Mr. Francisco dos Santos, Mayor of the Dili Municipal Authority, the virtual meeting marked Dili’s formal kickoff in the AGMF network following Timor Leste’s accession to ASEAN and paved the way for more meaningful and consistent engagement in the Forum. At the same time, the meeting also served as an entry point for Dili to connect with the broader Asia-Pacific network.
In the meeting, Mayor Francisco conveyed Dili’s strong interest in cooperating with other cities in ASEAN and beyond. He appreciated the organisation’s experience in implementing successful initiatives, such as waste-to-energy, integrated transport, climate resilience, and SDGs localisation, and expressed confidence that these solutions could be adapted to Dili’s needs. Further, Mayor Francisco expressed the city’s most urgent challenges:
- Addressing worsening traffic congestion, compounded by limited municipal authority over city planning and infrastructure.
- Mitigating frequent flooding that disrupts daily activities and affects vulnerable communities.
- Upgrading Markado Market, which remains inadequate and in need of essential improvements to better serve residents.
- Improving waste management, as the city still relies on open dumping practices.
Addressing this, Dr Bernadia extended an invitation and an opportunity to Dili. She invited Dili to actively engage in regional cooperation to address shared challenges, highlighting how their active involvement can strengthen local voices in shaping the regional agenda, particularly through AGMF and that through UCLG ASPAC, Dili, can access regional knowledge, innovative practices, and technical cooperation to help accelerate its transformation.
As Timor-Leste assumes its role within ASEAN, we look forward to working closely with Dili Municipality in building a more sustainable, resilient, and people-centred city and in ensuring its active engagement across ASEAN’s local government platforms in the years ahead.
