Timor-Leste is organizing the “EITI Regional Conference”, which will be carried out in the of month August, in Díli.
This Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) international meeting will join together more than 30 countries and international organizations representatives in the Timor-Leste capital, to debate several issues concerning good resource management. A few examples of good management examples will be presented on the part of countries that are part of the institution – one of which will be Timor-Leste. Present amongst the audience will be , representatives of countries candidate to the process of compliance with the rules of this highly regarded international organization, such as Indonesia and Australia.
Also in debate at the conference will be the theme about the Transparency Model currently in development by Timor-Leste – an innovative and efficient model that is settled in five fundamental pillars.
The first pillar of this Timorese Model is the Transparency Website, an internet website that makes available information about Timor-Leste’s State accounts, since 2002. One of the peculiarities of this tool is daily information update, or in other words, as soon as there is money withdrawl or entrée, this information is published in the website. This website is available in Tétum, Portuguese and English languages. To access the website click here.
This model’s second pillar is compliance with the EITI rules, which in July last year, after the delivery of the first report in December of 2009, attributed the qualification of total conformity to the Timorese management. This year, Timor-Leste was re-elected for the EITI Council, to which it already belonged to in 2009. The initiative and the rigour demonstrated by the young Nation gave Timor-Leste the statute of being the first Asian Pacific country, and third in the world, to comply with the EITI rules, which guarantees transparency and responsibility in the nations rich in resources. The second Timor-Leste report about the EITI was presented in Díli, on March 25th last. This report accounts for, in a precise way, the money paid by the petroleum companies that operate in Timor-Leste and the money paid to the Government. To have access to this report click here.
The third pillar of the Timor-Leste Model of Transparency is the Petroleum Fund. The Fund was created in September 2005 with the purpose of contributing for a good management of petroleum resources and for a solid fiscal policy. Its management is made by the Banking and Payments Authority of Timor-Leste (BPA). To access the Petroleum Fund reports click here.
The fourth pillar for the Timor-Leste Model of Transparency is direct televised broadcasting of the complete discussion of the State Budget, which, since the swearing in of the IV Constitutional Government, takes place during an average of 13 days. It broadcasts not only the final vote but also the debate carried out in the National Parliament.
Finally, the fifth pillar of the Timor-Leste Model of Transparency is based on the Council of Ministers press releases in the Government Website and also in their dissemination through mailing lists of citizens and/or institutions to whom the decisions and issues analyzed by the Government may be of interest. This information is also available in Tetum, Portuguese and English. To access the Timor-Leste Council of Ministers press releases, click here.