⊗
In 2021, the Special Representative for the Blue Economy, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, launched the campaign Ha’u-nia Tasi, Ha’u-nia Timor (My Sea, My Timor).
This campaign helps raise awareness about the importance of Timor-Leste’s ocean and maritime areas. It also brings people together to support the country’s efforts to protect its maritime rights and promote the value of its marine resources.
The campaign also helps people understand why a healthy ocean is so important. The sea supports jobs, communities, the environment, and the country’s future. By learning more about the ocean, people can better understand its role in everyday life and why it needs to be protected.
As part of the campaign, many educational materials have been created, including children’s books, photography books, videos, and awareness kits. These are especially designed for young people to help build knowledge and respect for the ocean. The campaign shows how the Blue Economy can support development, while also protecting and using marine resources in a sustainable way.
National Day of the Sea is celebrated every year on 5 June in Timor-Leste to recognise the importance of the ocean for the country’s sustainable development, for the environment, economy, and way of life of the Timorese.
The Council of Ministers on 22 October 2025, established 5 June as the National Day of the Sea to support the Blue Economy Policy and Action Plan 2025–2035.
Having a dedicated National Day of the Sea highlights the need to protect Timor-Leste’s marine biodiversity.
It is also part of a wider Ocean Week to mark World Ocean Day celebrated grobally annually on 8 June.
Events and activities are held across the country to raise awareness about the value of the sea for Timor-Leste’s sustainable development.
The celebrations include events such as the Dili Ocean Parade, beach clean-ups, educational workshops, and community activities. These often involve young people, local communities, and national leaders, and areheld in different municipalities each year.
The National Day of the Sea aims to inspire the Timorese, especially Timorese children and youth, to be stewards for the ocean and support a sustainable future for Timor-Leste.
Programme of events and activities [Link]
The Blue Economy Youth Ambassadors Programme, supports knowledge and capacity-building among emerging young leaders in this field. This programme aims to establish a community with a platform enabling young people to contribute to sustainable development and to drive meaningful change in Timor-Leste and globally, through increased participation in the formulation and implementation of public policies that foster innovation and a balance between economic opportunities and ecological stewardship.
Become a Blue Economy Youth Ambassador [link]
Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão officially launched (23/09) the Blue Economy photographic coffee table book titled “Ha’u-nia Tasi, Ha’u-nia Timor” (My Sea, My Timor) at The Explorers Club, in New York City.
The book was produced by the Land and Maritime Boundary Office (LMBO) and is part of the Blue Economy campaign aimed at promoting the sustainable development of Timor-Leste’s marine resources to diversify the nation’s economy.
The “My Sea, My Timor” photographic book is a celebration of Timor-Leste’s special relationship with the sea, both in and out of the water. Each chapter of the book captures stunning images of Timor-Leste’s vibrant and exciting marine life. It also illustrates the unique biodiversity of the Timorese waters and the ancestral traditions that connect Timorese to nature and the sea.
In June 2024, the Land and Maritime Boundary Office installed the “Blue Fish” on the waterfront facing the Government Palace in Dili. This initiative aims to encourage the community to feed the “Blue Fish” by depositing their empty plastic water bottles in it so that they do not end up in the sea as marine pollution and endanger Timor-Leste’s Blue Economy and world-class marine biodiversity. Once the Blue Fish is full of empty plastic bottles, our partners can take them for recycling and to produce new materials. The Blue Fish is a piece of artwork that educates and motivates us all to act against plastic pollution. It raises public awareness about the dangers of plastic bottle pollution to our seas and the need to find innovative ideas to address these serious environmental issues.
In June 2024, the Land and Maritime Boundary Office, signed a Protocol of Cooperation with Caltech Group, to provide pro-bono coordination and for the collection, recycling, and treatment of plastic waste collected from the ‘Blue Fish’ and from other collection points installed inside the Palácio do Governo, in Dili. After collecting the empty plastic bottles, they are processed by Caltech Environmental and then sent to Circul-R, where the plastic waste is transformed locally into new products made from 100% recycled materials.
