On the occasion of the visit for ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to Timor-Leste, H.E. Mrs. Busaya Mathelin, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, together with H.E. Mr. Danai Karnpoj, Ambassador of Thailand to Timor-Leste, H.E. Miss Pattarat Hongtong, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), led the team of Thai officials concerned to visit Escola Basica Filial Acanuno (Kindergarten-Primary School) and Escola Basica Central Hera (Primary-Secondary School) in Timor-Leste on 6 September 2019. These schools are among the 4 existing schools under the Royal support of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to promote education, health, sanitary, nutrition and learning capability for children in Timor-Leste since 2014.

In addition, the group met with sufficiency economy role model farmers and visited the Sufficiency Learning Center in Hera Sub-District near Dili where Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) initiated the application of sufficiency economy philosophy as a means to promote sustainable development for Timor-Leste both bilaterally (2010-2015) and trilaterally under the Sufficiency Economy and Business Promotion in the Agricultural Sector Project between Thailand-Germany (GIZ)-Timor-Leste (2016-2017). These efforts aim to help improve the capability of Timorese agriculturists and farmers as well as to establish a sustainable model village based on Sufficiency Economy Philosophy. Among the various activities carried out and promoted by the SEP model farmers and the Learning Center are the growing of multiple crops, production and use of organic fertilizer, organic animal feeds, aquaculture, and value-added production for interested Timorese farmers and young smart farmers.

Thailand and Timor-Leste signed the MOU on Economic and Technical Cooperation in 2003 reflecting Thailand’s determination to help Timor-Leste’s development in various fields particularly agriculture where Sufficiency Economy Philosophy has been offered as a means to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. At present, Thailand and Timor-Leste are preparing the 3^rd Three-Year Development Cooperation Program on 3 major fields namely agriculture, education, and health. In this connection, the Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency also held consultation meetings during this visit with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Director-General of Policy, Planning and Cooperation, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Timor-Leste as well as the representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) to discuss ways and means to further promote international development cooperation to assist Timor-Leste toward the path of sustainable development.