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Timor-Leste is an island nation in Southeast Asia. In 2002, Timor-Leste became an independent nation and the 191st member of the United Nations.
Establishing permanent maritime boundaries is a national priority for Timor-Leste.
In 2015, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste established the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries which had the principal purpose of achieving permanent maritime boundaries for the nation.
In this context, and after a long process to delimit permanent maritime boundaries with Australia, Timor-Leste initiated the compulsory conciliation mechanism under the aegis of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to establish permanent maritime boundaries with Australia.
On August 30, 2018, and following this process, the “Treaty between the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Australia establishing their respective maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea” entered into force.
However, in order to achieve full sovereignty, Timor-Leste still has to finalize its land and sea boundaries with Indonesia.
In December 2023, the Land and Maritime Boundaries Office was created, replacing the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, to define the necessary conditions and objectives leading to the signing of treaties establishing the respective land and maritime boundaries with the Republic of Indonesia. The specific competencies of the Land and Maritime Boundaries Office were also extended to support the Prime Minister in carrying out his duties relating to the Blue Economy.
To learn more about the young, growing nation of Timor-Leste, click here.
This website is hosted by the Maritime Boundary Office of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries to allow readers to learn more about Timor-Leste’s pursuit of permanent maritime boundaries. The Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries and the Maritime Boundary Office do not accept any legal liability for any reliance placed on any information contained in this website (including external links). The information provided is a summary only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. The information and views expressed in this website and in any linked information do not constitute diplomatic representations and do not limit or otherwise affect the rights of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste. The views expressed in any linked information do not necessarily reflect the views of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste.
GFM is the acronym for “Gabinete das Fronteiras Marítimas”, which is the Portuguese translation of Maritime Boundary Office.