Locations“UNDP and Japan empower Timor-Leste’s health sector with solar energy, ensuring safe medicine storage and 24/7 healthcare in rural areas.”
Timor-Leste Turns to Solar to Keep Medicines Safe and Clinics in Rural Areas Running 24/7
October 25, 2025
Official handover of the solar power system to the Government of Timor-Leste, received by H.E. Mr. Samuel Marçal, Minister of Public Works.
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
Dili, 23 October 2025 — In Timor-Leste, lifesaving medicines and vaccines are now safely stored day and night, thanks to a new solar energy system installed at the National Institute of Farmacy and Medical Products (INFPM) in Dili. At the same time, two rural clinics - in Hatu-Conan (Manatuto) and Bobe (Ainaro) - are now powered 24/7, allowing health workers to provide care even at night and during power outages.
The new solar systems were inaugurated today at a ceremony in Dili, attended by the Ministry of Public Works, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Embassy of Japan, and representatives from Ainaro and Manatuto municipalities.
“Opening session and photo opportunity with special guests: Mrs. Paulina Mendonça Maher, Executive Director of INFPM and representative of the Minister of Health, welcomes H.E. Mr. Samuel Marçal, Minister of Public Works; H.E. Mr. Tetsuya Kimura, Ambassador of Japan to Timor-Leste; the President of the Board of Directors of EDTL; and Ms. Adeline Carrier, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative.”
Julio Guterres/ UNDP TImor-Leste
H.E. Samuel Marçal, Minister of Public Works, highlighted the importance of the initiative: “This solar system is extremely important, especially for INFPM. In the past, unstable electricity caused many medicines to spoil. With this installation, we can ensure proper preservation of medical supplies. I sincerely thank the Government of Japan and UNDP for their continued support.” He further called on national institutions to remain focused on rural development, adding: “As Timorese, let us all pay attention and give priority to our communities living in rural areas.”
INFPM’s new solar-hybrid system — including rooftop panels and a rehabilitated battery energy storage room — now powers around 80% of the institution’s energy needs. The upgrade ensures uninterrupted power, keeping vaccines and medicines at stable temperatures 24 hours a day, while also reducing electricity costs by half and cutting carbon emissions. “These upgrades mean INFPM now operates on a clean, stable, and renewable power supply that can sustain all essential functions, even during power cuts,” said INFPM Executive Director Paulina Mendonça Maher.
In rural areas, the new solar systems installed in Hatu-Conan and Bobe clinics — each equipped with solar panels and a battery storage room — allow health workers to provide emergency care at night and to safely store medical supplies, even in remote villages. “Reliable, clean energy is not only an environmental goal — it is a matter of public health and national resilience. Clean energy for better health — this is the change we are celebrating today,” said Adeline Carrier, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Timor-Leste.
The installations were completed under UNDP’s Pacific Green Transformation Project, funded by the Government of Japan in partnership with the Government of Timor-Leste. “Japan believes that nation-building begins with human resource building. We recognize that promoting people’s health is essential for a country’s development, and we have supported Timor-Leste’s health sector for more than 25 years. We are proud to support Timor-Leste’s sustainable climate efforts,” said Tetsuya Kimura, Ambassador of Japan to Timor-Leste.
More than 100 participants attended the event, which featured a video showcasing how clean energy is improving health service delivery in rural areas, followed by the signing of plaques, ribbon-cutting, and the symbolic handover of the solar systems.
The ceremony concluded with a joint commitment from all partners to continue expanding access to clean energy for healthcare facilities across Timor-Leste — ensuring that every community, no matter how remote, can access safe and reliable health services.
“UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Ms. Adeline Carrier and Assistant Resident Representative Ms. Felisberta dos Santos in a photo session with nurses and doctors at Hatu-Conan Health Post in Manatuto and Bobe Health Post in Ainaro. These facilities once struggled without electricity, but with the new solar power systems, health workers can now provide continuous care, improving community wellbeing and access to essential health services.”
Julio Guterres/ UNDP Timor-Leste
To truly understand the difference this project is making, we invite you to hear directly from those whose lives and work have been transformed in Dili, Hatu-Conan (Manatuto), Bobe (Ainaro), and the National Medical Warehouse (INFPM). Watch the video below to see testimonies from community members, nurses, doctors, and representatives from relevant institutions as they share their experiences. They describe how the new solar energy systems have improved healthcare delivery, enabled 24-hour medical services in rural clinics, ensured the safe storage of vaccines and medicines at the national medical warehouse, and strengthened community resilience through access to clean, reliable, and sustainable energy.
About UNDP-Pacific Green Transformation (PGT) Project:
The PGT project aims to improve climate resilience and expand access to clean energy by integrating renewable energy technologies into communities, schools, and health facilities. Targeting Dili, Manatuto, Manufahi, and Ainaro municipalities, the project promotes sustainable infrastructure and empowers local communities to transition toward a greener and more resilient future.
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