Caption: NZAID supports the development of sustainable livelihoods such as mulberry farming for silk production in this LAHO project near Baucau.

Note: Click for enlargement of map.

Timor-Leste

2008/2009 Allocation | $5 million

Snapshot

Timor-Leste occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor , toward the eastern end of the chain of Indonesian islands and close to Australia . It has a population of just over a million people. It is a mountainous and tropical island, vulnerable to drought and natural disasters. In 2002 Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor ) became the first new nation of the 21 st century, when it achieved independence after several centuries as a Portuguese colony, 24 years of Indonesian rule and a brief period under United Nations administration.

Despite gains in social and political development since independence, Timor-Leste is the poorest country in Asia . Around 40% of people live with incomes of less than 55c per person per day. Around three-quarters of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, and poverty is especially widespread and severe in rural areas. Many rural households run short of food between harvests.

Since April 2006 Timor-Leste has suffered from renewed violence and turmoil. 30,000 people remain in camps in Dili and Baucau, and many more in the homes of relatives. The security situation remains volatile.

Timor-Leste held its first national elections since independence in 2007. Presidential elections in May saw Jos é Ramos-Horta elected President. Parliamentary elections in June led to the formation of a coalition government, the Alliance of the Parliamentary Majority, in August 2007.

NZAID priorities

NZAID assistance to Timor-Leste focuses on capacity building and good governance. Target sectors include:

Education
Rural livelihoods
Human rights.

NZAID plans to review its country strategy for Timor Leste in 2007.

NZAID on the ground

Education

Support for basic education is one of NZAID's agreed priorities with the government of Timor-Leste. Currently only 80% of primary aged children enrol in school, and less than half of these reach Grade 6. NZAID and the Ministry of Education and Culture have agreed on a Capacity Building Programme to strengthen the Ministry's management capacity and systems centrally, at regional level, and in schools. The programme will lift the Ministry's capability to achieve universal primary completion, in line with the Millennium Development Goals. Work supporting the restructuring of the Ministry in line with a new Organic Law began in November 2007.

New Zealand also funds advisors on the promotion of adult literacy – only 50.1% of the adult population is literate – and non-formal education.

Rural Livelihoods

NZAID has begun scoping work to identify an avenue for the effective support of the livelihoods of those in rural areas. Possibilities include integrated support for food security, the development of agro-forestry extension services, and employment generation for women and youth.

Moris Rasik, a Timorese NGO, provides small loans and savings facilities to poor women in rural communities, to enable them to start up and develop small businesses. Most women use the loans to set up small shops, trade bread, kerosene, or firewood, or to raise pigs and goats. NZAID has provided funds to enable Moris Rasik to extend its operations into the eastern half of Timor-Leste.

The New Zealand Embassy administers the Social and Community Development Fund, which supports grassroots level efforts around poverty alleviation, sustainable economic and social development for disadvantaged communities, as well as projects focusing on gender and participation issues. The Fund is currently under review and will be re-designed during 2008.

Human Rights

NZAID continues to support a justice outreach programme run by the Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP), a local non-governmental agency committed to advocating for rights and access to law and justice for the Timorese people. JMSP's vision is to contribute to the development and improvement of the justice and legislative system through objective monitoring, analysis, advocacy and training. The programme's objective is to provide information about the law, justice and human rights to all levels of Timorese society, particularly to remote and low-literacy communities.

NZAID, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is also supporting the Provedoria for Human Rights and Justice which, in addition to being Timor-Leste's national human rights institution, also has ombudsmen's and anti-corruption functions. New Zealand 's support contributes to building human rights capacity.

Other projects

New Zealand supports the multi-donor Consolidation Support Programme, which aims to build capacity in key sectors of government and provide a platform for policy dialogue. The programme focuses on three thematic pillars: service delivery for poverty reduction, job creation, and good governance.

The Timor-Leste NGO Forum and other Timorese CSOs are working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to deliver civic education programmes across Timor-Leste. This work began in the run-up to the 2007 elections and will continue throughout 2008. NZAID has provided financial support to this project, the final aim of which is to promote stronger citizen participation.

In December 2007, on the request of the new Minister of Finance, NZAID, the NZ Customs Service and the World Bank worked together to review the Timor-Leste Customs Service. The review is currently under consideration by the Timor-Leste Government.

NZAID also supports the deployment of NZ Police staff to Timor Leste under the United Nations Integrated Mission to Timor-Leste (UNMIT).