ERIA Capacity Building Programme Strengthens Timor-Leste’s Engagement with ASEAN

Dili, 5 February 2026: From 3-5 February 2026 ERIA co-organised a capacity-building workshop to provide practical training for Government of Timor-Leste officials serving as ASEAN focal points. The workshop brought together around 120 in-person and online participants from multiple ministries and sectoral bodies, alongside advisers supporting Timor-Leste's efforts to comply with ASEAN agreements.

The programme aimed to strengthen officials' ability to engage effectively in ASEAN processes by enhancing their understanding of ASEAN institutional structures, meeting dynamics, and consensus-based decision-making. Participants were trained to formulate and defend national positions, engage in negotiations, and conduct informal consultations. The 3-day workshop combined expert presentations with interactive exercises and simulations.

Day 1 focused on ASEAN decision-making and meeting dynamics, covering the ASEAN Charter and Community Pillars, sectoral bodies and working groups, and effective meeting preparation. Day 2 addressed ASEAN negotiations and sectoral meetings through hands-on simulations. Day 3 emphasised cultural and diplomatic competence, as well as reporting, follow-up, and domestic coordination mechanisms.

Ms Anna Robeniol, Senior Policy Fellow at ERIA, contributed to multiple sessions. ERIA also supported the participation of Ms Glenda Reyes, Assistant Director at the ASEAN Secretariat, together with three consultants: former Indonesian trade negotiator Dr Donna Gultom; Malaysian trade official Mr P. Ravidran Palaniappan; and Ms Denise Cheska C. Enriquez, Chief of the Regional Relations and Arrangements Division at the Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry.

The workshop was organised under PROSIVU, a Dili-based programme focused on strengthening governance in Timor-Leste, in partnership with ERIA. Both PROSIVU and ERIA's Capacity Building Programme are supported by the Australian Government.