From 23 to 28 October 2025, Asia Centre delivered a series of training sessions in Timor-Leste aimed at strengthening digital security and raising awareness on online safety. Supported by Google in Asia and the Pacific, together with national and local partners, the programme offered Timorese partners and participants a valuable opportunity to engage with experts, exchange experiences, and acquire practical digital protection skills. Many attendees emphasised the significance of the initiative, noting that such insightful, interactive, multi-stakeholder engagements are rare in Timor-Leste and play a crucial role in strengthening the country’s digital resilience.
The programme commenced on 23 October with a public panel discussion on Digital Resilience and Cybersecurity Awareness at Universidade de Dili. Co-organised by Asia Centre, Fundasaun Hadomi Timor (FHT), and Universidade de Dili, with support from The Asia Foundation, the event was opened by the the Second Vice Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, H.E. Mariano Sabino ‘Assanami’. It convened over 120 representatives from civil society, academia, the media, and the ICT sector to explore strategies for strengthening the national digital security ecosystem and promoting digital literacy.
Following the panel, Asia Centre and Fundasaun Hadomi Timor conducted an extended digital security training session at the hall of Universidade de Dili, equipping participants with practical skills in online privacy, secure communication, and misinformation management.
The programme continued on 26 October with a second training session in Aileu District, reaching more than 45 local community members beyond the capital. The session focused on strengthening digital security awareness among local youth, community leaders, and ICT practitioners. In-country activities concluded with two Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions held on 27 and 28 October, engaging a total of 58 individual trainers, including hard-to-reach participants and people with disabilities. The first ToT was conducted as a national initiative in partnership with Fundasaun Hadomi Timor and The Asia Foundation Timor-Leste, while the second was organised in collaboration with Oxfam Timor-Leste. These sessions equipped emerging Timorese trainers with an advanced understanding of facilitation skills, enabling them to deliver inclusive digital security training within their organisations and communities, thereby ensuring the long-term sustainability of the initiative.
The October 2025 digital security activities built upon Asia Centre’s earlier training sessions conducted in 2024 in Timor-Leste. Under the same Google in Asia and the Pacific support, Asia Centre collaborated with the Fundasaun Hadomi Timor and other key Timorese partners to deliver in-person digital security training on 17–18 December 2024 in Dili. This initiative brought together digital rights advocates, media professionals, and civil society representatives.
Through these Google-supported initiatives in 2024 and 2025, more than 300 individuals from a range of organisations across Timor-Leste enhanced their capacity to identify and mitigate online risks, including AI-generated threats. The training sessions covered essential topics such as human-centred digital safety, password security, data protection, safe communication, and phishing awareness, thereby strengthening cybersecurity practices among both individuals and participating organisations.
The 2025 digital security training sessions held added significance, coinciding with the national celebration of Timor-Leste’s official accession to ASEAN on 25 October — a milestone in the country’s regional integration. In light of this important development, Asia Centre reaffirms its commitment to supporting the creation of a safer, more inclusive, and resilient digital environment in Timor-Leste, aligned with the nation’s continued integration into the ASEAN community.
