Decree-Law No. 29/2025 establishing a Conditional Health and Nutrition Subsidy for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children up to the age of 3 who are in a situation of social vulnerability.

This Law establishes a Conditional Health and Nutrition Subsidy for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children up to three years of age who are living in situations of social vulnerability in Timor-Leste. The principal objective of the decree-law is to improve maternal and child health outcomes and combat chronic malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations. The programme provides a combination of nutritionally appropriate food assistance and a financial transport incentive to facilitate access to health and nutrition services. It is introduced as a pilot project in the municipalities of Covalima, Ermera and the Special Administrative Region of Oe-Cusse Ambeno, with the possibility of future expansion based on the programme’s results. The decree also aims to strengthen social protection mechanisms by linking assistance to the fulfilment of health and nutrition requirements, including prenatal and postnatal care, child health monitoring, vaccination, nutritional counselling and participation in community awareness activities. It establishes eligibility criteria, procedures for verifying socioeconomic vulnerability, mechanisms for programme administration and data protection safeguards, as well as systems for monitoring and evaluating the programme’s effectiveness.