Friends of Aileu is the friendship relationship between:

Merri-bek City Council and our communities
Hume City Council and their communities.
the Timor-Leste municipality of Aileu and its people.

Established under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2000, the friendship relationship's commitments are outlined in a Friendship Agreement, which is renewed periodically. You can read through the Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) and our current Friendship Agreement (PDF) to find out more.

As part of the Victorian Government's program of cooperation with the Government of Timor-Leste, both councils have also entered into Municipal Coorporation Agreements with the Timor-Leste Ministry of State Administration. The Moreland Municipal Cooperation Agreement (PDF) and the Hume Municipal Corporation Agreement (PDF) provide a framework for the support provided to the Municipality of Aileu during the Timor-Leste Government decentralisation process and the transition to responsible, elected local government.

Currently, there are 32 friendship groups registered with the Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network. You can find out more about these groups on the Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network website. Eighteen of these groups are linked to Victorian local government councils. Moreland (now Merri-bek) and Hume were among the first councils to formalise their friendship relationship, along with Darebin, Yarra, and Port Phillip.

The friendship relationship is based on the following principles:

Relationships - building partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding
Sustainability - committing to a long-term relationship
Respect - supporting Timorese-led decision-making

Engaging in the spirit of friendship, we participate in activities that support the municipality and people of Aileu to develop their local democracy and seek a more sustainable future. We focus on education and training, community health, and the environment, and specifically aim to address participation by women and youth. The Friends of Aileu Strategy Plan (PDF) provides more detail about how we make these activities happen.

The friendship relationship reflects and builds on the strong links between the people of Australia and Timor-Leste. These links have been developed and strengthened over decades of support and solidarity, particularly during periods of war, occupation, and subsequent peacekeeping.