AUN Secretariat will be Supporting Timor-Leste’s Roadmap to Full ASEAN Membership

2024 will be marked as a crucial year for ASEAN as a whole, as the efforts to welcome Timor-Leste as a full member of ASEAN will be initiated with the full support of current ASEAN’s member states. As of current, plans are now in motion to ensure the fulfillment of criterias set out in the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in ASEAN. One significant component towards success in this regard is the Futuru Lider Ba ASEAN (FLBA) programme for Timor-Leste launched by the Vice-Minister’s Office for ASEAN on 3rd April 2024. Before getting into the details of ASEAN University Network (AUN) Secretariat’s involvement in the FLBA programme, here is a quick recap of the events leading up to current developments.

The work Timor-Leste has initiated to prepare themselves to be ASEAN ready began in 2022, during the 40^th and 41^st ASEAN Summits. In these two summits, Timor-Leste was admitted, in principle, to be the 11th member of ASEAN and was granted the observer status which allowed participation in all ASEAN Meetings. In the time leading up to the 42^nd ASEAN Summit, Timor-Leste formulated the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in ASEAN to be adopted by ASEAN’s member states. After the roadmap was adopted at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, Timor-Leste intensified their efforts to fulfill the roadmap with great support from ASEAN Member States.

Now, in the FLBA programme, Timor-Leste will be selecting 90 candidates from different sectors as the first cohorts to take leadership for Timor-Leste in ASEAN. Their ability to establish cross-border working relationships in ASEAN countries and to contribute to priority areas of their nation will be invaluable to Timor-Leste. During May 2024, the participants will be assigned to 10 ASEAN Immersion teams traveling to each of the 8 ASEAN Member States for research on cooperation and benchmarking opportunities, as well as representing Timor-Leste.

The AUN Secretariat will be stepping in to facilitate the visit of one of the ASEAN Immersion teams in Thailand on 19 - 28 May 2024. Awaiting candidates will be an active learning programme filled with experiential visits, lectures and seminars, and personal reflection time spanning across the buzzling sociocultural, economic and industrial scenes of Bangkok and its surrounding areas. As Timor-Leste's next generation leaders, they will work together to quickly build knowledge and capabilities in areas considered priorities by their home country, especially in the areas of human development, economic growth, and sustainability. 

More details of the FLBA programme and the ASEAN Immersion visit to Bangkok will be coming soon.