Government reviews two years of serving with “Rigor and Responsibility”

Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and

Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste

 Dili, February 16th, 2017

Government reviews two years of serving with “Rigor and Responsibility”

Today, the 16th of February 2017, marks two years since the swearing in of the Sixth Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste. On this day in 2015 the new Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Rui Maria de Araújo, noted the limited timeframe the Government had to “give form and content” to commitments made, but declared, “Nevertheless, we want to move the country forward and we are determined to do so”.

It is this determination that has characterized the work of the last two years to deliver the Program of the Sixth Constitutional Government with rigor and responsibility.

The Government has sought to address immediate needs, particularly in the social sector, whilst laying the foundations for successful long-term national development through its focus on productive areas of the economy, building and improving essential economic infrastructure, and addressing industry, financing and trade constraints.

In this reflection there is only space to highlight some of the many actions of the Government in the four main areas of its Program, the Social, Infrastructure, Economic, and Good Governance Sectors.

On the 22nd of July 2015 the Government launched the Comprehensive Primary Health Care Package and Health in the Family Program. This is the single most far-reaching health initiative ever undertaken in Timor-Leste and to date over 149,000 home visits have been carried out, more than 190,000 families cared for and some 902,000 family members have benefitted from the program. By determining the health situation of people and their families and identifying and responding to risks the Government is making significant progress in achieving its vision of “Healthy Timorese citizens living in a healthy Timor-Leste”.

Amongst many other health achievements in the last two years are marked improvements in hospital emergency medical services in the hospitals of Baucau, Maliana, Suai, Díli, Maubisse and Oe-Cusse, the construction of 57 Health Posts, the rehabilitation of 22 Health Centers, the recent inauguration of the Eduardo Ximenes Regional Hospital in Baucau and the passing of the landmark Tobacco Control Regime which will have a monumental impact on the good health of current and future generations.

In the sphere of Education 15 new preschools have been built and 518 basic schools and 30 secondary schools rehabilitated. Over 98,000 sets of tables and chairs were distributed throughout the country and close to a million text books and teaching materials were acquired and printed for different levels of education. The roll out of the new curriculum for the first cycle of basic education has continued and preparations for implementation in the second cycle are in their final phase. School lunches were distributed in 1,505 schools benefitting over 300,000 students.

The General Social Security Law was passed in late 2016 with a Budget of just under $27 million allocated for 2017. This law creates a single Social Security Scheme that will be key to sustainability in the area of social benefits and includes mandatory contributions from workers and employers. In the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls the Government adopted the National Plan of Action on Gender-Based Violence 2017-2021 and the National Plan of Action of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

The Government Program, like the Strategic Development Plan upon which it is based, recognizes that “In order to develop our Nation, build a modern and productive economy and create jobs we must build core and productive infrastructure.” Recent polling indicates that infrastructure development, particularly regarding roads, is a high priority for the population.

In the last two years 860 kilometers of national roads, 53 kilometers of municipal roads and 80 kilometers of urban roads were built, along with 8 bridges and significant engineering work to mitigate flooding. Following on from the National Electrification project of the V Constitutional Government over 1,000 kilometers of new medium voltage lines and 1,321 kilometers of low voltage lines have been installed benefitting more than 43,000 people. Electricity tariffs have been regulated with over 34,000 units of prepaid electricity meters distributed across all municipalities and subsequent revenues reaching more than $50 Million.

The provision of quality water supply has expanded with the completion of the water supply system in the capital of Manatuto and the progress in Oe-Cusse reaching 59%. In the municipality of Díli 263 new water supply connections were installed. The Master Plans of Water and Sanitation were finalized for the capitals of Baucau, Lospalos, Same and Viqueque.

In his very first speech as Prime Minister, Dr. Araújo said “our plan tells us that sustainability and economic diversification are pressing needs.” To meet these needs within the economic sector there has been support to the five pillars identified in the Guide for Economic Reform and Growth of Timor-Leste 2015-2017, namely the sectors of Oil and Gas, Agriculture, Fisheries, Tourism and Manufacturing Industry, as well as considerable efforts to build an environment conducive to economic diversification by addressing industry, financing and trade constraints.

Agriculture support has included the production of hundreds of tons of seeds for farmers, the distribution of 270,000 seedlings for planting throughout all municipalities, the establishment of 113 new tilapia breeding tanks in the area of fish farming and the acquisition and distribution of many hundreds of thousands of vaccines to ensure safe and healthy buffaloes, cows, swine and poultry. The work on several large irrigation systems has been completed.

Small business has been supported with financing provided to 133 enterprises and 196 proposals under the self–employment program for the creation of small businesses were approved and financed. Business training was given to 2,307 participants in Business Development Centers in the 12 municipalities and provided a counseling and follow-up service to 516 entrepreneurs. Through SERVE 3,345 commercial licensing certificates for new companies were issued.

The Mining Code and the Forestry Code were approved by the Government and the National Petroleum Authority transitioned to become the National Petroleum and Mineral Authority. The Draft Tourism Policy was released for comment and tourism came ‘online’, literally, with the launch of the Government’s website www.timorleste.tl and the development of an international marketing campaign.

Laws critical to the encourage private sector development and foreign investment have been approved by the Government including the draft law on Arbitration, Mediation and Conciliation and the very important Special Regime on the Ownership of Immovable Property, also known as the Land Law. This law, recently approved by National Parliament is considered essential to ensure peace and the social and economic development of the country.

A new Customs Authority was established, a modern Customs Code based on international conventions was passed and the adoption of the Arusha Declaration revised to promote integrity and transparency in the new Customs Authority. This has taken place as the work goes ahead to construct a world-class port at Tibar Bay through a Public Private Partnership between the Government and French consortium Bolloré.

In terms of increasing connection to global markets two significant milestones were Timor-Leste’s granting of observer status by the World Trade Organization and the CPLP Global Economic Forum held in February 2016 with more than 300 business participants visiting from around the world. Work has continued to ensure that Timor-Leste is prepared for its accession to ASEAN, with the accession process considered to be ‘on track.’

Finally in the sector of Good Governance, planning and strategic investment, strengthening accountability, increasing decentralization and ensuring continued peace and stability have been at the forefront. The reform programs instituted in the four key areas of Public Administration, Fiscal Reform, Economic Reform and Legislative and Justice Sector Reform are all well advanced. Investments have been made to strengthen and professionalize security forces, improve access to justice and ensure the use of Tetum in the judicial sector.

The Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit was set up to ensure a better link between planning and budgeting and to clearly define performance indicators regarding the execution of public monies. The new Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030 have been integrated into the Government’s policies, action plans and budget with the help of a SDG Working Group set up under the Office of the Prime Minister. A Social Audit Unit was set up to enhance the relationship between the Government and Civil Society Organizations and carry out social audit activities in the area of education, health, basic infrastructure and agriculture.

Successful local elections were held throughout the country in 2016 facilitated by the Government and work is underway to prepare for the upcoming Presidential election on the 20th of March and the Parliamentary election expected to take place in July. The main building of the National Electoral Commission was recently completed and inaugurated with the necessary conditions for the important work of overseeing these elections and ensuring democracy in Timor-Leste through the promotion of a free and fair electoral process.

The Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries was established to assist the achievement of the delimitation of national maritime borders and the Maritime Boundary Office [MBO] created to support this endeavour. The website of the MBO was launched and a comprehensive policy paper produced and published on the Maritime Borders of Timor-Leste. In August 2015, we agreed with Indonesia to hold bilateral discussions on land and sea borders. In April 2016 the Government initiated a United Nations Compulsory Conciliation process with Australia to assist the resolution of maritime boundaries, and after overcoming jurisdictional challenges the process is now well underway with meetings signaling that both parties “should aim to reach agreement within the timeframe of the conciliation process” to be concluded in September 2017. The Chief Negotiator for Maritime Boundaries, H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão has been at the forefront of these efforts.

Government Spokesperson, Minister of State Agio Pereira, noted “the last two years have been characterized by an energetic implementation of the Program of the Sixth Constitutional Government. Over this period we have always been aware that the process of transformation in our country requires the participation of us all. Together we have achieved a great deal. With a heavy sense of responsibility the Government remains acutely aware of what still needs to be done to best manage the various challenges ahead. We will continue to work with ‘rigor and responsibility’ over the remaining months of our mandate. We reflect on these years positively and look to the years ahead with confidence in our people and our common commitment to the success and progress of  Timor-Leste.” 

 

FACTS and FIGURES

 

Two Years of the Sixth Constitutional Government

ECONOMIC SECTOR

GOVERNANCE SECTOR

INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR

 

SOCIAL SECTOR

- Average length of stay (ALOS):Referral Hospital of Baucau – 8 days; Maliana – 5 days; Suai – 6 days; NHGV – 6 days; Maubisse – 5 days; Oecusse – 5 days.

-  Net Death Rate (NDR) for every 1,000 patients: Referral Hospital of Baucau – 23; Maliana – 20; Suai – 6; NHGV – 21; Maubisse – 20; Oecusse – 29.

-  Bed Occupation Rate (BOR): Referral Hospital of Baucau – 87%; Maliana – 156%;Suai – 65%; NHGV – 104%; Maubisse – 89%; Oecusse – 110%.

-  Gross Death Rate (GDR) in Medical Emergencies for every 1,000 patients:NHGV – 41; Referral Hospital of Baucau – 40; Maliana – 44; Suai – 21; Maubisse – 36; and Oecusse – 41.

url: https://timor-leste.gov.tl?lang=en&p=17382