Government holds meetings with UNICEF
The Minister of Health, Maria Odete Belo and the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, met with the representative of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) in Timor-Leste, Valerie Taton, on the 15 and 16 June, respectively.
In the meetings with UNICEF's representative, a review was made of the organization's projects in Timor-Leste, in particular in terms of support for the prevention and combat of COVID-19, and ideas were shared on the implementation of ongoing projects and on new areas of cooperation.
UNICEF has given various support to Timor-Leste in responding to COVID-19, including the provision of health supplies, hygiene kits for residential childcare facilities, the first official national mental health hotline, television programs for the Eskola Ba Uma program, public hand washing facilities and training actions in infection prevention and control.
UNICEF's representative expressed the organization's willingness to continue supporting Timor-Leste and among the priority areas of intervention, highlighted the need for investment in early childhood, focusing on education, nutrition and access to water and sanitation.
It was also addressed the success of the Eskola Ba Uma initiative, a distance learning program, which ensured the continuity of the teaching and learning process through the means of information and communication, for students throughout the country, during the term of the state of emergency that forced the closure of schools and the interruption of classroom classes.
The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers also explained the economic and social stabilization plan, which is based on six areas of intervention and 19 measures, in order to respond to and minimize the negative implications caused by COVID-19 on the national economy. This plan also serves as the basis for the next phase of economic recovery. For this, a commission was created, led by former Finance Minister Rui Gomes, who will, within 60 days, present to the Government the measures to be approved and the actions to be implemented for the recovery of the national economy, properly systematized and condensed into an Economic Recovery Plan.
Valerie Taton also handed over to the Ministers the UNICEF Timor-Leste reports, including the National Action Plan for Children in Timor-Leste and the Child Data Book 2018. The Action Plan is a guide that describes how to progressively build a child-friendly environment that respects, protects and fulfills the rights of all children in the country, particularly the most disadvantaged children, and the Child Data Book is a report that compiles data from each child development sector, including health, education, water sanitation, among others and covering all child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
