The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis  Manuel Leite Magalhães, participated today, July 2, 2020, in the launch and symbolic presentation to the Government of the summary report of social audit 2019 – conclusions and recommendations, in a ceremony that took place in the Parish Hall of St. Joseph, in the Cathedral of Dili.

The report was prepared by the Forum of Non-Governmental Organizations of Timor-Leste (FONGTIL) and the National Social Audit Network (ReNAS), in partnership with the Government, with the objective of contributing to the improvement of the quality of public services and the effectiveness of public policies, through their adaptation to the social, economic, political, environmental and cultural context. In 2019, the Government, through the Prime Minister’s Office, granted financial support of about 500 thousand dollars for social auditing activities.

Ten non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – TLCE, FUNDAMOR, HAK, AHDMTL, Luta  Hamutuk, HASATIL, CBRNTL, MDI, FOKUPERS and HDI – participated in the implementation of this program which included the collection and analysis of data in the 12 municipalities and in the Special Administrative Region of Oé-Cusse  Ambeno (RAEOA). The document presents the main conclusions and recommendations for the Government in the areas of education, agriculture, social and infrastructure.

In the area of education, the analysis focused on school infrastructure, furniture, teacher training, quality of teaching and implementation of curricula. In the agriculture sector, the ministry of agriculture’s seed distribution policy was analyzed. In the infrastructure sector, the analysis looked at the implementation of the Integrated Development Program of the municipalities as monitored the budgetary policy for the Dili – Manatuto and Baucau – Viqueque roads. In the social area the focus was on the subsidy program for people with disabilities that is being implemented by the National Institute of Social Security, in the municipality of Ermera and in the analysis of accessibility and mobility conditions for people with disabilities in the RAEOA.

The Minister, in his speech, stressed the importance of the partnership between the Government and civil society institutions, to permit a faster response capacity to concerns of citizens and for the inclusive development of the whole population.

Fidelis Magalhães explained that the Government will continue to focus during this year on the process of economic stabilization and that next year the economic recovery plan, which is currently being prepared, will begin to be implemented.

The Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers also said that the Government will examine the concerns and recommendations received from civil society and share them with ministerial lines, so that the necessary measures to improve the provision of public services, address the gaps found and improve the living conditions of the population are included in the 2021 General State Budget.

FONGTIL is a national non-governmental organization that brings together 230 local, national and international civil society organizations in Timor-Leste, with the aim of strengthening the NGO sector and promoting the well-being and interests of the Timorese population.

ReNAS  was established in 2015, through a memorandum of understanding between the Government and FONGTIL with the aim of supervising the implementation of all social audit activities, providing technical assistance and functioning as a liaison point between civil society organizations and the Social Audit Unit of the Prime Minister’s Office.