Timor-Leste country strategic plan (2026–2030)

CSP approved at EB November 2025 session

Timor-Leste is a least-developed country and a small island developing state with a population of 1.3 million. Since gaining independence in 2002, the country has continued to make significant progress in terms of reconstruction, human rights and sustainable development. However, it still faces challenges related to malnutrition and food insecurity, which are exacerbated by natural hazards.  

The prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age is among the highest in the world. An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis published in 2024 found that 27 percent of households faced acute food insecurity, while an updated cost of diet analysis in 2023 revealed that 75 percent of households cannot afford a nutritious diet, with food costs rising by 78 percent between 2019 and 2023. These challenges are driven by low agricultural productivity, poor maternal and child nutrition practices, high poverty rates, limited safety net coverage and frequent climatic shocks, all of which weaken food systems and household resilience. 

WFP proposes a five-year country strategic plan, which will align with the United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework 2026–2030 for Timor-Leste, and the Government of Timor-Leste’s Strategic Development Plan for 2011–2030. It comprises the following three outcomes: 

➢ Outcome 1. Communities vulnerable to and affected by crises in Timor-Leste benefit from the improved capacities of government systems and partners to prepare for and deliver assistance before, during and after shocks. WFP will support the Government in preparing for responses to shocks, with a focus on capacity strengthening for national supply chains. As part of contingency planning, WFP will retain the option to directly respond to shocks under the Government’s leadership, activated upon request. 

➢ Outcome 2. School-aged children and people vulnerable to food insecurity, malnutrition and shocks in targeted municipalities in Timor-Leste have improved nutrition, strengthened human capital and more sustainable livelihoods by 2030. WFP will work towards improving food security and nutrition outcomes by providing capacity-strengthening support to national safety nets, including the school feeding programme. In alignment with the Government’s Merenda Escolar programme and its home-grown school feeding model, WFP will provide technical assistance and implementation support to enhance sustainability and impact, while also contributing to the Government’s broader social protection efforts to support food-insecure people.  

➢ Outcome 3. Communities vulnerable to and affected by crises in Timor-Leste benefit from improved services and the enhanced capacities of the Government and humanitarian and development actors to prepare for and respond to crises by 2030. WFP will retain the capability to deliver on-demand procurement and supply chain services at the request of Government and partners in order to temporarily augment their capacities. 

These country strategic plan outcomes set out a strategic direction for WFP in Timor-Leste, building on areas of strength under the country strategic plan (2023–2025) and the organization’s strong partnership with the Government.