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
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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 one 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 21st 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, ranked 158 out of 179 countries on the Human Development Index. Around 40 percent of people live with incomes of less than 55 cents per person per day. Around three-quarters of the population are 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 José 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, public sector reform, human rights, and good governance. The major target sectors are education and justice, with plans for expansion of engagement in the rural livelihoods sector.
NZAID reviewed its assistance programme to Timor-Leste in early 2008. As a result of the review, NZAID designed a new country programme strategy that will be operationalised in 2009. This strategy development process will be based on Government of Timor-Leste Annual National Priorities and will include meetings with officials in early 2009.
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 percent of primary aged children enrol in school, and less than half of these complete primary schooling. NZAID and the Ministry of Education 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. The programme has moved into an implementation phase, and will continue to provide support into the future. Support for 2009 includes assistance to the five Regional Offices and Office of the Inspector General within the Ministry, as well as providing a specialist to assist in determining teacher supply and demand levels.
NZAID has also recently increased the number of New Zealand Development Scholarships that are accepted from Timor-Leste from six to 10 students annually.
Rural livelihoods
NZAID has been 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. It is likely a new programme focusing on rural livelihoods will be designed in the latter part of 2009.
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. Further funding has been given to enable Moris Rasik to extend the scope of their services.
The New Zealand Embassy in Timor-Leste administers the Social and Community Development Fund, which supports grassroots level efforts around poverty reduction, sustainable economic and social development for disadvantaged communities, as well as projects focusing on gender and participation issues. The fund was reviewed in late 2007 and will be re-designed in 2009 simultaneously with the strategy development process.
Human Rights
NZAID, together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is also supporting the Provedoria for Human Rights and Justice. The Provedoria is Timor-Leste's national human rights institution, and also has ombudsmen's and anti-corruption functions. New Zealand's support contributes to building human rights capacity. NZAID will fund an Investigations Officer from New Zealand 's Internal Police Conduct Authority to assist with capacity development in the Office of the Provedor in 2009.
NZAID also funds a UNDP programme‘Supporting Civil Society Organisations in Promoting Citizen Participation'. Despite the successful elections, many people in Timor-Leste have a lack of knowledge around the democratic process. This project, which began before the 2007 elections, is working to strengthen the principles of democracy and good governance by supporting Timorese civil society organisations to design and deliver nationwide civic education programmes. It is especially important that people have access to civic information in the post-conflict context of Timor-Leste, where political instability and further conflict are constant threats. Civic education prepares citizens for effective participation in democratic development processes at the local and national levels and offers an important foundation for the future political, economic and social development of the nation.
Public Sector Reform
In addition to support provided to the Ministry of Education, NZAID also contributes to the multi-donor Planning and Financial Management Capacity Building Programme (PFMCBP). This initiative, managed by the World Bank, aims to strengthen the planning, budgeting, public expenditure management, and revenue administration of the Government of Timor-Leste in order to increase economic growth and reduce poverty. The PFMCBP will fund assistance from the New Zealand Customs Service to provide support to the Timor-Leste Customs Service, subsequent to a review commissioned in 2007 in which NZ Customs officials participated.
Justice
NZAID contributes to the deployment of 25 New Zealand police officers to participate in the United Nations Integrated Mission to Timor-Leste (UNMIT) assistance to the Timor-Leste National Police Force (PNTL). In response to requests from the Government of Timor-Leste and UN officials, a community policing pilot programme implemented by PNTL and NZ Police started in October 2008. This pilot programme will run for a year, after which time it will be reviewed to assess effectiveness and whether it should be extended to other districts.
NZAID continues to support a justice outreach programme run by the Judicial Systems 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.
Other projects
NZAID has also provided funding for a programme run by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation their aim is to mitigate post-harvest losses in rural areas in Timor-Leste. This will help to improve food security, especially during the period between harvests when many Timorese people experience malnourishment.
After the crisis of 2006, many East Timorese were displaced from their homes. NZAID provides funding for a programme run by the UNDP which aims to help people to return to their villages, and re-integrate into their communities after living in camps for internally displaced persons.
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NZAID Timor-Leste | Fact Sheet (342k)