Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministry of Rural Development and Community Housing

Jacinto dos Santos completed his study of philosophy and theology in Malang, Indonesia, in 1993. In that same year, he escaped to Melbourne, Australia, as a refugee and became a human rights activist fighting for the independence of East Timor. He became an Australian citizen in 1998. In 2000, Mr. dos Santas returned to East Timor as an international legal interpreter and translator for four languages (Tetum, Portuguese, Indonesian, and English), supporting the UN mission in East Timor. After 10 years in that role, Mr. dos Santos became a national training specialist at ADB, then a human resources advisor at the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Transports and Communication. Mr. dos Santos has also worked in the Ministry of Territorial Planning. He is currently an institutional development advisor in the Ministry of Rural Development and Community Housing.