Zacarias da Costa
Encyclopedia
Zacarias Albano da Costa (born 16 January 1964 in Remexio) is a East Timor
ese politician and diplomat. On August 8, 2007, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs
2 following the 2007 parliamentary election
. Before being appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Minister da Costa was a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Bench at the Parliament. In addition to his ministerial role, he is currently Chairman of the National Council of the PSD.
Professionally, Minister da Costa has worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for four years as Inter-Agency Coordinator and Project Administration and Implementation Specialist. He was also a USAID Advisor on Private Sector Development Project and Head of Information Coordination and Monitoring Unit.
Prior to the Independence of Timor-Leste, the Minister was a key figure in the CNRT (National Council for Timorese Resistance) Political Committee and the Coordinating Committee for the Diplomatic Front as the Permanent Representative to the European Union and International Organizations in Geneva covering the period 1985-2000. Another key function of the Minister was the coordination of the Secretariat of the Inter Parliamentary-Group of the European Parliament for Timor-Leste.
Currently Minister da Costa holds a number of voluntary positions including National Vice-president of the Timor-Leste Red Cross and is heavily involved with NGO’s and Cultural and Sporting organizations.
Minister da Costa worked as a teacher and journalist in Portugal before joining the Timorese Resistance Movement and holds a degree in Classical Humanities from the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) and a Certificate on Human Rights from the International Institute of Human Rights, in Strasbourg (France).
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
ese politician and diplomat. On August 8, 2007, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
2 following the 2007 parliamentary election
East Timorese parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in East Timor on 30 June 2007. Although a narrow plurality was achieved by the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor , a coalition involving the next three largest groups formed a government...
. Before being appointed as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Minister da Costa was a Member of Parliament and Leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Bench at the Parliament. In addition to his ministerial role, he is currently Chairman of the National Council of the PSD.
Professionally, Minister da Costa has worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for four years as Inter-Agency Coordinator and Project Administration and Implementation Specialist. He was also a USAID Advisor on Private Sector Development Project and Head of Information Coordination and Monitoring Unit.
Prior to the Independence of Timor-Leste, the Minister was a key figure in the CNRT (National Council for Timorese Resistance) Political Committee and the Coordinating Committee for the Diplomatic Front as the Permanent Representative to the European Union and International Organizations in Geneva covering the period 1985-2000. Another key function of the Minister was the coordination of the Secretariat of the Inter Parliamentary-Group of the European Parliament for Timor-Leste.
Currently Minister da Costa holds a number of voluntary positions including National Vice-president of the Timor-Leste Red Cross and is heavily involved with NGO’s and Cultural and Sporting organizations.
Minister da Costa worked as a teacher and journalist in Portugal before joining the Timorese Resistance Movement and holds a degree in Classical Humanities from the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) and a Certificate on Human Rights from the International Institute of Human Rights, in Strasbourg (France).