The project Promoción de la Cooperación Sur-Sur en el área de la Seguridad Social en Timor-Leste (Promotion of South-South Cooperation in the field of Social Security in Timor-Leste) aims at:

1. Strengthening social protection policies in Timor-Leste through the creation of social security public policies.  
2. Developing training activities in order to strengthen the institutional capacities of the Timorese State in the field of social protection.

The project takes into account the Decent Work and South-South Cooperation principles and common foundations, as well as the objectives of the Alliance Program Brazil-ILO for the Promotion of South-South Cooperation in Social Security.

-> More information on the Background on South-South Cooperation in Social Security.

-> Back to the main page on South-South Cooperation.

Furthermore, the project builds on the exchange of experiences and lessons learned in the extension of social protection coverage and uses these as inputs to find a solution in the Timorese context, relying on the technical expertise accumulated by the ILO through its technical support provided to social security schemes. 

The project aims to meet the need of building a social protection system to protect workers in each of the country's economic sectors.

-> More information on Timor-Leste

Stages of the project

2010

• A technical support mission in Timor-Leste with the participation of Brazilian experts and the ILO Social Security Department in Geneva, as well as the development of a study on the pension system in Timor-Leste
• A meeting of the ILO delegation with the Tripartite Working Party established in Timor-Leste to produce the proposal for a social security regime
• The decision taken by the Ministério da Solidariedade Social (Ministry of Social Solidarity)of introducing a pension scheme in two stages:
• 1. Initially to develop a Law on a Transitional Social Security Scheme” (RTSS), benefiting public officials, military officials and police officers, covering old-age, survivor and invalidity pensions
• 2. Subsenquently, developing a Law on a Unified Social Security Scheme benefiting public officials, police officers and private sector workers, intended to incorporate the RTSS. 

2011

The development of an actuarial study for the “Transitional Social Security Scheme” (RTSS)in order to ensure its financial sustainability (the first version was presented in December 2010, the second version in February 2011)

• The adoption by the Timor-Leste Council of Ministers of a Draft Law on Social Security in May 2011, with the technical support provided by the ILO
• The presentation of a series of suggestions for the design and the text of the draft law as inputs for the Tripartite Working Party  

2012

• Adoption by the Parliament of Timor-Leste of a Transitional Social Security Regime (RTSS), published in the Official Gazette in February 2012(Law 6/2012). In April 2012, the Council of Ministers subsequently adopted the Decree-Law 23/2012 to regulate the implementation of Law 6/2012 
• Technical support provided to the Ministry of Social Solidarity of Timor-Leste in the launching of the pension scheme
• Presentation of an update of the actuarial projections, including the final configuration of the Law 6/2012
• Presentation of an actuarial study to support the decision on the contribution rate to be established within the "Transitional Social Security Scheme" (RTSS)
• Technical visits and training courses provided to public officials of the Timorese social security institutions in Recife, State of Pernambuco (September/October 2012)
• Participation in November 2012 of public officials of the Timorese social security institutions in a course organized by the ILO STEP/Portugal programme in Cape Verde on the administration of social assistance pension schemes
• Technical visit to Timor-Leste of a Brazilian expert in social security databases in order to share knowledge and to make suggestions (to be confirmed)