Timor-Leste Experience on ODA & Aid Effectiveness

9-12 October 2007

The Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Regional Workshop on Aid

EffectivenessHanoi, Vietnam

Presentation by:Palmira Pires

DirectorETDA, Timor-Leste

Overview• Timor-Leste: “Timor of the rising sun”

• Situated: Eastern part of Timor Island

500 km across the Timor Sea is Australia

• It also includes the enclave of Oecussi (located in West Timor)

Facts and Figure• Population: 1,084,971 (Estimated)

• Rural population: 90%

• Language Literacy:

Tetun: 82%Portuguese: 5%Indonesian: 43%English: 2%

Gender: 49% Male, 51% Female

Youth (Age below 33): 51%

Land Area: 15,007 sq km

Source: The World Factbook – Timor-Leste

Language & Administrative division

• 12 main ethnic groups, each with its own language ie:

Tetun, Mambae, Tokodede, Kemak, Galolen,Idate, Waimu’a, Naueti, Laka’ale, Bunak, Makasae and fataluku, Makalero, Baikeno

• Timor-Leste comprises of 13 districts, 67 sub-districts (postos), 442 villages (sucos) and 2,336 sub-villages (aldeias)

History

• 450 years under Portuguese colony

• 3.5 years under Japanese invasion (World War II)

• 24 years under Indonesia (Order Baru)

• 2 years under UN Transitional Administration (UNAMET/UNTAET/UNMISET)

• Restoration of Independence, 20 May 2002

• Currently led by the 4th Constitutional Government

Non- State Actors

• Religious organizations

• Mass organizations

• Cultural and traditional associations

• Community and sports organizations

• Development organizations and self-help groups referred as NGOs

Indonesian period

- Indigenous political associations survived underground or were incorporated into Indonesian organizations

- Clandestine organizations operated under CNRT (National Council of the Timorese Resistance)

Catholic Church

• 98% population is Catholic

• Constitution praises merits of the Church in its Preamble but does not favour any religion

• Church has communication and social service network

Civil Society

There is a total of 467 local and international organizations in Timor-Leste in which 83% are local organizations. Most of the organizations are based in Dili.

• 369 Local NGOs

• 18 National NGOS

• 80 International NGOS

Role of Civil Society

• Monitoring

• Advocacy

• Education

• Agriculture

• Advisory services on human rights, justice and peace, gender awareness, environment and emergency assistance

Timor-Leste ODA Experience

In 2004

• GDP is USD 366

• Unemployment 55% nationwide, 20% capital Dili

• >10,000 young people join the labour market every year

• Inflation fell 1.8% in 2004 and is expected to remain at round 2.4%

• Growth in GDP is low at 1.8%

Timor-Leste ODA Experience (cont…) Government records reveal that

Timor-Leste received a total of

USD 2,314,495,641 from 1999 to 2007

This figure represents both the security (military), emergency and development assistance to the country

• Source :figures gather from the Registry of External Assistance of the Government of Timor-Leste as of 28th September 2007

Timor-Leste ODA Experience (cont…)

Funding breakdown:

Total Funding (US$)

Country (28) 1,949,663,249

Institutions (26) 364,832,391

Total 2,314,495,640

East Timor Development Agency (ETDA)

• Established in 2000

• Non-governmental organization

• Led by Timorese

• Development of human resources through training, employment and business centres

ETDA experience with Aid Assistance

Since its establishment, ETDA received funding

Funding approved (US$)

Country (4) 969,112

Institutions (3) 179,671

Total 1 148 783

(To date ETDA has received only 64% of the total approved funding)

ETDA experience with Aid Assistance (cont..)

ETDA received 0.000496% of total Aid Assistance in Timor-Leste

0

500000000

1000000000

1500000000

2000000000

2500000000

Aid ETDA

28 countries

26 Institutions

ETDA experience with Aid Assistance (cont..)

ETDA allocated Aid Assistance to:

• Institution building

• Capacity building

ETDA experience with Aid Assistance (cont..)

Aid Assistance from donors based in the country

ETDA experience with Aid Assistance (cont..)

Aid Assistance from donors outside the country

ETDA experience with Aid Assistance (cont..)Results

• Ownership (organization is run and led by Timorese)

• Equal partnership (act as adviser to international organizations on local issues)

• Sustainability

• Sharing resources (support other non-government organizations including government in sharing resources)

Results

• International organization facilitated Timorese technical assistance from abroad

• Timorese technical assistance from abroad acted as bridge between donor community and local Timorese

• Ownership of the project

• Transference of skills

• Long term commitment

Challenges

• Lack of accountability of international partners’ organizations

• Lack of communication

• Inequality in sharing information

• Competition between international organizations in bidding for projects

• Difficulties in creating new programs

• Difficulty in starting on equal ground with international organizations in implementing NEW projects

Recommendations

• Donors to provide an endowment fund to local organizations

• Beneficiaries of the project to evaluate the project

• Create a transparency mechanism where the international institutions must be accountable to present the results of the project to the beneficiaries, not just to donors

• Be able to access information of projects implemented in the country on an annual basis

Recommendations (cont..)

• Support local media to monitor aid projects

• Create a mechanism for the return of professional technical assistance to their developing countries

And most importantly

• Aid assistance should not be tied with political decisions of the country

Obrigadu Barak!

Thank You