The World Health Organization (WHO) in Timor-Leste celebrated the 78th anniversary of WHO and World Health Day, bringing together the President of the Republic, ministers of Health and Education, senior officials from health-related ministries, the diplomatic corps, UN agencies, and development partners under the theme "Together for Health. Stand with Science."
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The centrepiece of the event was the official launch of the Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) 2026–2030, the key document guiding WHO's work in Timor-Leste over the next five years. Visitors also experienced Science in Action, an exhibition tracing the breadth of work carried out jointly by WHO and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
In his keynote address, President José Ramos-Horta, celebrated Timor-Leste's recent certification as malaria-free and the elimination of five other diseases, milestones he attributed to the dedicated work of health workers. He highlighted digital disease surveillance, the country's first oxygen generation plant at HNGV, and the introduction of the HPV vaccine and nationwide screening of over 260,000 schoolchildren as evidence of a health system modernising with clear purpose. While staying candid about what remains unfinished, such as reducing maternal mortality, combating stunting, and health consequences of climate change, the President singled out health disinformation as a threat on par with disease itself, urging citizens to stand with science.
Minister of Health Dr Elia A. A. dos Reis Amaral reflected on the years of measurable progress. "Our human development and universal health coverage indicators have moved in the right direction," she said. She credited the WHO-Ministry partnership, alongside contributions from partners, with achieving the elimination of rubella in July 2023, lymphatic filariasis in 2024, and malaria in 2025, describing the latter as especially significant. "Bigger countries with more resources have not managed to achieve this," she noted.
The event was also attended by Minister of Education Dulce de Jesus Pereira, Vice Ministers of Health José dos Reis Magno and Dr Flávio Brandão, and members of parliament.
Looking ahead, the Minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to universal health coverage, encompassing both stronger primary health care and expanded secondary and tertiary services. "Together, we are building robust surveillance systems for preventing, early detecting, and managing health emergencies. We are training epidemiologists, expanding access to modern diagnostics, and strengthening digital health systems," she said.
WHO Representative Dr Arvind Mathur reflected on the arc of progress, noting that Timor-Leste has added over 10 years to life expectancy in just two decades, built digital surveillance systems, enhanced early disease detections, all driven by evidence and science. He called One Health one of the defining lessons of this era. “Human, animal, and environmental health are intertwined. We can only protect one by protecting all three,” he said.
Launching the CCS document, Dr Mathur described it as a shared roadmap for stronger services, better preparedness and public health outcomes, built on four pillars: Provide, Protect, Promote, and Perform. The CCS 2026–2030 was developed through extensive consultation with the MOH, UN agencies, civil society, and development partners.
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The Science in Action exhibition brought these commitments to life. At the EPI stall, visitors traced Timor-Leste's immunization journey through real programme materials. The NCD stall drew the largest crowd, offering on-the-spot checks for blood pressure, blood sugar, and BMI. While the School Health stall illustrated how health and education converge, another focused on women, newborns, children, and adolescents - covering maternal care, adolescent health, and cervical cancer screening services.
The telemedicine kiosk showed how a doctor at a remote health centre can consult a specialist over video, sparing families long commutes to Dili. A live demonstration of ICBS-TL, Timor-Leste's first Integrated Case-Based Surveillance system, showed how cases are tracked in real time.