15 November 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Dili reported that a delegation from the Office of the Secretary of State for Institutional Strengthening (SEFI) of Timor-Leste will undertake a study tour to the Philippines from November 18 to 22.

While in the Philippines, the group will attend an international benchmarking program on the experience of the Philippines in the decentralization of local administration. The training program will be organized and conducted by the Local Government Academy (LGA), an attached agency of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) of the Philippines.

The study tour is in line with the Embassy’s economic diplomacy efforts of projecting the Philippines as an option from which Timor-Leste may gather best practices and useful experiences in meeting its development challenges.

The undertaking is also made possible through the combined efforts of the Embassy, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the LGA. END