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USAID/OTI East Timor Field Report
July 2001
Program Description
OTI's goal is to help secure and encourage a political, social and economic environment conducive to the democratic nation building process during East Timor's transition to independence. Current program priorities include community development and stabilization, assistance to independent media outlets to provide balanced and widely disseminated information, funding for NGOs and civic organizations, support for the judicial sector, and the reintegration of ex-combatants. OTI/East Timor's FY2001 budget is approximately $11 million.
Country Situation
East Timor's National Council was formally dissolved on July 14 in preparation for the Constituent Assembly elections on August 30, after nine months of session. Three East Timorese Cabinet Members also stepped down from the UNTAET Transitional Cabinet in order to stand as candidates in the elections. The moves are intended to promote fairness of the electoral process by ensuring Cabinet Members appointed by the Transitional Administrator do not enjoy a position of advantage during the campaign. Senior civil servants were sworn in as acting Cabinet Members until new appointments are made after the elections.
United Nations Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello announced that he would name a "government of national unity" ahead of full independence. He will appoint the new Cabinet on September 15, the same day that the Constituent Assembly takes office. Nominees are expected to reflect the majority, if not all, of the parties represented in the Assembly, as well as individuals who are not represented. The announcement has been hotly debated by some senior East Timorese politicians, who believe the Administrator's nominations to Cabinet should reflect the electoral results.
As of the end of July, the Independent Electoral Commission had accredited four International Observer Groups and eight National Observer Groups. Approximately 200 International Observers and 800 National Observers are expected to serve as observers.
Radio and television began broadcasting campaign messages recorded by political parties and independent candidates. This is part of the initiative underway to afford equal access to the media for those registered in the elections. A Broadcast Review and Mediation Panel was also established in July, aimed at ensuring equitable media access and coverage of the political campaign.
The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation is expected to begin work in September or October of 2001. It will consist of 5-7 National Commissioners and 25-30 Regional Commissioners. The Commission will undertake two primary functions: a truth seeking inquiry into human rights violations committed within the context of political conflicts between 1974-1999; and community reconciliation to facilitate agreements between local communities and the perpetrators of non-serious crimes and non-criminal acts committed over the same period. The regulation stipulates that there can be no further civil or criminal liability for those who comply with the conditions of the Commission. By establishing a community based mechanism to deal with less serious crimes, the work of the Commission is expected to assist the criminal justice system in concentrating their limited resources on perpetrators responsible for the most serious crimes. The Commission is to operate for two years.
On July 9, 2001 the Serious Crimes Panel of the Office of the Prosecutor General began its first Crimes Against Humanity trial in Dili. Ten suspects are on trial accused of perpetrating 13 murders, torture and the forcible transfer of the civil population in Lautem district between April and September 1999. A Serious Crimes Panel also convicted a former militia member to 15 years imprisonment for the murder of a United Nations official in Ermera district following the referendum of 1999.
In other developments, the Transitional Administrator promulgated a regulation establishing the U.S. dollar as the official currency of East Timor. In mid-August, all prices for goods and services, all financial records, and all payments must be in U.S. dollars. Enforcement is expected to concentrate on larger scale, formal sector businesses mostly concentrated in Dili. A more graduated approach will be taken towards other monetary transactions.
OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
July grants to local organizations helped to extend voter and civic education activities with added support to groups in Lautem, Viqueque and Ainaro districts. OTI has also supported office rehabilitation for groups in the two extreme ends of East Timor: TILMO, Timor Lorosa'e Moris (East Timor's Birth), in Lautem district to the east and FFSO (Fatu Sinai Foundation) in the westernmost enclave of Oecusse.
One member each from the East Timorese Youth Organization and CARITAS attended the Training of Trainers workshop in Indonesia for the "Communicating for Humanity" program, which focused on media skills for civil society leaders in potential conflict areas. After the elections, these organizations intend to hold follow-up workshops in the districts in East Timor.
Access to information continues to be a challenge, especially in the rural districts. In July, OTI approved grants for the purchase of 1,000 wind-up and solar powered radios for distribution through two East Timorese NGOs. The organizations will target farmers' groups and village leaders providing instructions on how to use the features of the radio. OTI is also supporting the public information efforts of the Central Payments Office about the "dollarization" of the economy. UNTAET's Central Payments Office intends to familiarize people throughout East Timor on the use and value of the U.S. dollar and coins in preparation for a decrease in circulation of the Indonesian Rupiah.
In order to expand access to news and information, OTI has provided newspaper subscriptions to churches, which serve as important centers of community activities, and health posts. Approximately 30 parishes and 175 health posts in 13 districts are covered by two daily newspapers and one weekly magazine. Through the election period, OTI has also purchased 200 copies of the daily newspaper Timor Post for distribution to the refugee camps in West Timor through the Jesuit Refugee Service. The distribution is intended to provide much needed information to the refugee communities in West Timor.
OTI is supporting the establishment of an interim office for the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation. The office's mandate includes identifying and recruiting the national commissioners, planning and implementation of the logistical work required for the two-year project, and liaison with donors for longer-term funding support.
Sixteen grants were approved under OTI's community stabilization BELE Project. These community-based, small-scale interventions strengthen local governance structures through broad community engagement in project identification, prioritization and implementation. Grantees included community groups, local and international NGOs, agriculture groups and income generating cooperatives. OTI's BELE team also organized and facilitated the first follow-on meeting to the June Joint Donor Community Development Exchange. The meeting, well attended by representatives from the donor community, NGOs, and relevant UNTAET/ETTA departments, provided an initial forum for discussion of appropriate government involvement in the forum, donor coordination, local governance and the World Bank supported village development councils. The overall objective is to establish a series of regular meetings among national-level community development stakeholders where important crosscutting issues that affect the sector as a whole can be discussed. A second meeting was scheduled for August.
The Falintil Reintegration Assistance Program (FRAP), jointly funded by OTI and the World Bank through a grant to IOM, began its final phase of implementation in July. The Transitional Safety Net cash payments phase was concluded, and IOM staff began working with individual FRAP participants in designing and implementing their training and reintegration assistance packages. Activities include livestock re-stocking, agricultural investments, small-scale trade, educational vouchers, vocational training, and employment referrals.
B. Grants Activity Summary
| Obligated funds (USD)
|
Number of grants
approved
|
|
|
| Civil Society |
797,895 |
709,678 |
144,900 |
1,507,573 |
38 |
41 |
8 |
79 |
| Media |
1,194,962 |
1,125,934 |
95,400 |
2,230,896 |
14 |
38 |
8 |
52 |
| Governance |
335,651 |
311,480 |
71,840 |
647,131 |
6 |
8 |
2 |
14 |
| Community Stabilization |
484,381 |
1,049,832 |
134,300 |
1,534,213 |
15 |
101 |
16 |
116 |
| Employment |
4,032,139 |
0 |
0 |
4,032,139 |
61 |
0 |
0 |
61 |
| Reintegration of Ex-Combatants |
0 |
1,108,123 |
0 |
1,108,123 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Total |
6,845,028 |
4,305,047 |
446,440 |
11,150,075 |
134 |
190 |
34 |
324 |
C. Indicators of Success
- A "Meet the Press Day" for political parties was held in Dili on August 16. OTI provided funding to the Timor Lorosa'e Journalist Association (TLJA) to organize and host the event. Fifteen of the 16 political parties registered in the elections took part in the debate, moderated by Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs Jose Ramos-Horta. The political parties each gave a brief presentation, followed by a series of questions from local journalists, civil society organizations and international journalists. This was the first public political debate held in East Timor, and was widely aired on radio and television. A second political debate was scheduled to take place in Baucau, East Timor's second largest town, in August.
- With the increase of local organizations engaged in civic education, many more villages have received information regarding the upcoming elections and the fundamentals of democracy.
- An OTI-supported water system for two upland sub-villages in Ermera District that previously had no access to clean water was inaugurated in July. Intensive consultations with the community were held throughout all stages of the project. Bia Hula, a local NGO specializing in small-scale water systems, lived with the communities involved during four months of implementation, ensuring a high level of voluntary community participation. Three water tanks were constructed in each of the sub-villages with enough capacity to provide water to 361 households (1,710 people) throughout the dry season. Local water user groups were also formed and trained by Bia Hula to maintain the system.
D. Program Appraisal
The short timeframe for civic education activities prior to the election has led many local organizations to shift their primary focus in this direction. For example, some organizations that characterize themselves as working in the agricultural sector submitted proposals for civic education activities. While it is important to engage many sectors of the civil society in civic education campaigns, some of the proposals may have been driven by the availability of donor funding rather than any particular expertise to conduct civic education activities. As a result, some proposals have not been funded.
In July, Project BELE moved forward in finalizing program indicators and incorporating them into a final report format to better measure project impact. New guidelines for support of income generating cooperatives, as well as better ways to leverage resources in the implementation of numerous small-scale community development projects, are also being developed. Different program directions (capacity building, micro-finance) are also being explored.
Long-standing issues regarding eligibility for the FRAP program are re-surfacing as the program enters its final phase of reintegration assistance. For example, East Timorese who were active in the underground clandestine network prior to the 1999 Referendum, but were not classified as ex-combatants per se by the Falintil High Command, are not eligible for assistance under FRAP. The upcoming elections and the political campaign have also served to bring attention to the issue. The FRAP Steering Committee, comprised of relevant UNTAET/ETTA departments, IOM, USAID/OTI, and the World Bank, is planning a renewed information campaign to address some of these concerns.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
OTI will intensify monitoring of the voter and civic education grants in August in the lead up to the elections. In the justice sector, OTI is exploring options to support the Department of Justice as well as local organizations for greater public outreach and information regarding the court system, the role of the new Timorese police force, and citizens' rights. The progress of current court cases has limited coverage in the media, and citizens' access to legal advice and information continues to be hampered by limited human resources and public information.
USAID is finalizing its transitional strategy for East Timor (FY01-04). OTI will work closely with USAID/Jakarta to ensure close coordination and integration.
OTI is particularly concerned with facilitating and strengthening linkages between local governance structures and the future national government. To this end, OTI is working closely with other donors and UNTAET/ETTA to explore the potential role of village councils, developed under the World Bank's Community Empowerment Program, as an interlocutor with sub-national government structures and local communities.
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