Joaquim Amaral

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This article is about the East Timorese politician and diplomat. For the Brazilian politician and coffee producer, see Joaquim Bonifácio do Amaral [de; pt]
Joaquim Amaral
Amaral in 2020
Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs
In office
24 June 2020 – 1 July 2023
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byFrancisco Kalbuadi Lay
East Timorese Ambassador to Thailand
In office
November 2015 – January 2020
Member of the National Parliament
In office
2001–2012
Personal details
Born (1968-07-17) 17 July 1968 (age 55)
Political partyFretilin
[1][2]

Joaquim Amaral (born 17 July 1968[2]) is an East Timorese politician and diplomat, and a member of the Fretilin political party.

From June 2020 to July 2023, he was the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, serving in the VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.

Previously, Amaral was East Timorese Ambassador to Thailand, and a Member of the National Parliament of East Timor.

Early life and career[edit]

Amaral was born in Viqueque, Portuguese Timor (now East Timor), and has a degree in Agriculture. He has been Secretary-General of the Associação das Arquitetos de Timor-Leste (ART), Director of the Forte Group, and Administrator of Funuman PT Ltd.[1]

Political career[edit]

Amaral began his political career at the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), for which he worked from 1999 until 20 May 2002, when East Timor's independence was restored.[2] In 2001, he was elected as a Fretilin candidate to the Constituent Assembly of East Timor, from which the National Parliament emerged in 2002.[3][4][5] During the 2001–2007 Parliamentary term, he was a member of the Committee for Infrastructure (Committee G).[4]

At the next Parliamentary elections in 2007, Amaral was not re-elected, but on 21 August 2007, one month after the first session of Parliament, he succeeded one of the Fretilin candidates who had not taken up his or her seat. In Amaral's second legislative period, he was a member of the Committee for Infrastructure and Social Facilities (Committee G).[1]

In November 2015, Amaral was appointed as East Timor's ambassador to Thailand,[2][6] and also as the Permanent Representative of East Timor to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which is based in Bangkok.[2] He served in those offices until 2020.[2][7]

Following a change in the governing coalition, and the admission of Fretilin to the VIII Constitutional Government, Amaral was sworn in as Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs on 24 June 2020.[8][9][10] In that capacity, he was the official in charge of leading the negotiations for East Timor to become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).[11]

After being appointed as Coordinating Minister, Amaral also sought to diversify East Timor's economy beyond its strong dependence upon oil and gas, by promoting other industries including mining, agriculture, fisheries and tourism.[11][12]

Amaral's tenure as Minister ended when the IX Constitutional Government took office on 1 July 2023. He was succeeded by Francisco Kalbuadi Lay.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "[Profile] Joaquim Amaral". National Parliament of East Timor (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Trade for Peace Week 14 – 18 November 2022: H. E. Mr Joaquim Amaral Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs of Timor-Leste" (PDF) (Press release). World Trade Organization (WTO). Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  3. ^ "LISTA ALFABÉTICA DOS DEPUTADOS". National Parliament of East Timor (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Deputados Legislatura 2002-2007". National Parliament of East Timor (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  5. ^ Devereux, Annemarie (2015). Timor-Leste's Bill of Rights: A Preliminary History (PDF). Acton, ACT: ANU Press. p. 307. ISBN 9781925022391.
  6. ^ "[Ambassador appointment announcements]". Embassy of Japan in Timor-Leste. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Timor Leste emphasises relationship with Thailand as true friends". NNT website. National News Bureau of Thailand. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Swearing-In and organic structure of the Eight Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Structure of the VIII Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Timor-Leste's Eighth Constitutional Government (updated 17 July 2020)". La'o Hamutuk website. La'o Hamutuk: Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b Dettoni, Jacopo (27 October 2022). "'Joining the WTO will be transformative'". fDi Intelligence. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  12. ^ de Sa, Jose Belarmino (20 September 2022). "MTCI and MECAE discuss the development of tourism in Timor-Leste". Tatoli. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  13. ^ Martins, Filomeno (30 June 2023). "The list of structure of IX Constitutional Government announced in Official Gazette". Tatoli. Retrieved 1 July 2023.

External links[edit]

Media related to Joaquim Amaral at Wikimedia Commons

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