Encouraging signs in Timor-Leste but core challenges persist, Ban warns

18 February 2010 – Many of the underlying causes that contributed to the 2006 political crisis in Timor-Leste remain, despite recent encouraging signs, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns, calling the country’s security and justice institutions fragile and possibly unable to withstand another major crisis.

A dispute within the Timorese military in 2006 spread throughout the country, leaving dozens of people dead and driving some 155,000 people, or roughly 15 per cent of the population, from their homes.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his latest report on the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), says tensions among the political elite, difficulties within the security institutions, poverty, persistent unemployment, and the lack of an effective land and property regime were the underlying causes of that crisis.

“Whatever weight is attributed to the various factors contributing to the 2006 crisis, it is unlikely that they will be fully resolved by 2012,” he writes. “A reasonable goal is to ensure that the democratic institutions and processes established are robust enough to continue addressing those issues without regression to violence.”

In the report, Mr. Ban took note of the successful elections last October for village (suco) council members, which he called “a further democratic milestone and a tribute to the growing capacity of the country’s electoral management bodies.”

The suco elections were particularly important as local leaders resolve disputes and problems within the community that are at the centre of life in Timor-Leste.

On a wider scale, the Secretary-General noted the continued difficulties involved in establishing accountability for past crimes.

“I remain concerned, as conveyed in my previous report, that the prolonged delay in delivering justice and providing repatriations to victims and their families may further adversely affect public confidence in the rule of law,” he said.

He added that UNMIT will continue to play an active role in addressing these challenges.

The Secretary-General noted the efforts of his Special Representative Ameerah Haq, who took office on 5 January, to continue tackling challenges through inclusive dialogue at the local, regional and national levels.

“National and local leaders, as well as many civil society actors, continue to have faith in the resolve of the United Nations to serve as an impartial arbiter that also shares their goals of sustainable stability, rule of law, democratic governance and socio-economic development,” the Secretary-General wrote.

He also recommended that the mandate of UNMIT be extended for 12 more months. The current mandate is due to expire at the end of this month. The Security-Council is scheduled to discuss the topic next week, including any possible changes to the mandate, which includes providing assistance to the security sector, strengthening support for protection of human rights and supporting the Government and relevant institutions to stabilize the country.

In his report, the Secretary-General noted the “broad desire of the Timorese leadership and other national stakeholders for the United Nations to maintain the integrated support provided through UNMIT in all major areas of the mandate,” while also planning “the downsizing of UNMIT during the period through 2012 and the transition of functions, where appropriate, to the Government, the United Nations country team and bilateral partners.”

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Remarks By President J. Ramos-Horta...

Presidência da República

Remarks


By

President J. Ramos-Horta

To the Diplomatic Corps

In Dili, Timor-Leste

29th December 2008

Excellencies,

It has become a tradition in some countries that the Head of State invites the diplomatic corps for Christmas and/or New Year gathering. I hope to make this an annual occasion during which I share with you my thoughts on the year that is ending and what we hope for in 2009.

On 31st December, I will deliver my End of the Year and New Year Message to the Nation with a more detailed account of my Presidency. Today I will be succinct.

As you all know, I began 2008 with a very fruitful, memorable visit to Brazil. Before my departure for Brazil, I gathered in my residence all the main political leaders, the Speaker of our National Parliament, Mr. Fernando Araujo Lasama, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, former Speaker Mr. Francisco Lu’Olo Guterres, former Prime Ministers Dr. Mari Alkatiri and Eng. Estanislau da Silva among others, representing the broadest possible political spectrum of our Nation. And this was not the first such meeting. All the mentioned leaders had honoured me with their presence in my residence on other occasions. In these meetings we had the opportunity to openly discuss, in a constructive manner, the challenges facing our Nation.

Some of the challenges we discussed were the then on-going problems involving Mr. Alfredo Reinado and his armed group, the so-called “petitioners”, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and the general security conditions in Dili. We shared the view that we all had a responsibility to contribute to creating a safer environment for our people.

As my visit to Brazil almost coincided with the much acclaimed Brazilian carnival, I was hoping to enjoy a few days off in Rio. However, at the meeting in my residence held before my departure for Brazil, my colleagues urged me to return earlier which I did as they were all very keen to continue the dialogue under my auspices. Within two days of my return on Feb 6th I met with all the said political leaders to continue the discussion.

The discussions were held at a very open and friendly atmosphere. The leaders seemed committed to work together to stabilise the situation in the country.

I told the leaders gathered in my residence that I was determined to have a resolution of the problems of Mr. Alfredo Reinado and the so-called “petitioners” by May 2008. Resolution of these two problems was indispensable if we wanted to see a return of the IDPs to their original neighbourhood.


Excellencies,

You all know what happened on 11th February 2008. The motives of Mr. Reinado remain unknown to me. The trial of those involved directly or indirectly in the 11th February attack on me and the Prime Minister might reveal more facts.

It was feared that the country would slide into a civil war. The usual critics of Timor-Leste and its leaders seemed happy to confirm that Timor-Leste was a “failed State”.

Timor-Leste did not slide into a civil war. The opposite happened. All the State institutions continued to function. We have since entered a period of peace not seen since 2000. My near death, like the near death of Mahatma Ghandi when he went on a long hunger strike, pushed back the people from the brink of a wider conflict.

The “petitioners” who were hesitating to accept an offer put forward by me almost one year earlier began to assemble at a designated point in Díli.

A successful Join Operation ordered by the acting President and Prime Minister induced the peaceful surrender of Mr. Reinado and Mr. Salsinha’s group and this in turn encouraged the IDPs to start thinking about returning home.

The Joint Operation was a significant military and political success, a tribute to the political leadership of the Speaker Mr. Fernando Araujo and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and the professionalism and dedication of the men and women of our two security forces. The PNTL and the FFDTL dispelled the negative perceptions and fears about them.

Our economy rebounded in 2008 with non-oil 10% GDP growth. The progress can be seen and felt in Díli and across the country.

There has been a steady progress in the redevelopment of our national police and defence forces. The two institutions that almost imploded in 2006 and engaged in shoot-out in Díli have made significant recovery. Challenges remain in the redevelopment of the two security agencies. But I believe we are on the right track.

I caution against hasty hand-over of policing responsibilities from UNPOL to PNTL. While I understand the need and desire on the part of East Timorese police officers to take charge of security of our own country, we must always bear in mind the lessons of a very recent past.

There has been much criticism levelled at the East Timorese leaders for failing to provide adequate infrastructure and logistic means to our police force. I spoke out on this problem in 2005 and 2006 while still a Foreign Affairs Minister. The situation was such that I personally purchased in 2005 three horses for our police in the Laklubar Sub-District who had to walk up to 8hrs to cover some of the remotest areas in their jurisdiction.

While I welcome the criticisms and the endless reports undertaken by the UN Dep’t of Peace-Keeping Operations (DPKO), donors and the UN might ask themselves what they might have done wrong because after all they were involved in the development of our police force.

I have yet to receive a copy of a recent DPKO report published in one of Australia’s newspapers. It seems that some in the UN system in Díli or New York are addicted to leaking so-called confidential UN reports to Australian media.

The previous Australian Govt announced in 2004 that it was contributing US$30 million for our police force. Why some of this money did not go to build our border police posts or other police infrastructures, purchase much need communications equipment, etc is beyond my comprehension.

The UN was in charge of our police development from 2000 to 2003. However, in those three years, only some old Indian Tatas were handed over to our police. Apart from minor building repairs, some painted up jobs of old buildings, UNTAET and its successor missions provided no support for building infrastructures for our incipient and starving police force.

From 2002 to 2005, development assistance money was far greater than the State’s own budget and yet donors were reluctant to provide direct budget support for the cash-starved government.

I have stated before, overall percentage of the ODA allocated to the agriculture sector declined world-wide from 18% to less than 3% in the last 20 years. I urge development partners to reverse this downward trend.

Donors should make rural development, agriculture, food security, irrigation, rural roads, and access to clean water, access to school and medical care for the rural poor, a top priority in the next 10 years. We would see dramatic results by 2015, our Human Development Indicators will have improved significantly.

I urge the Government and donors to invest more in our youth. I would like to see Youth Centres in every district in 2009-10, with managed free Internet access for our students, library, cinema, and sports activities.

In closing, I wish to thank you all for your support to Timor-Leste. I wish you, the people you represent, a better New Year. I wish you personally, your spouses and children, and other relatives much health and happiness.

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Há que agir!

Factsheet on Persons with Disabilities

«Overview

• Around 10 per cent of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. They are the world's largest minority.
• This figure is increasing through population growth, medical advances and the ageing process, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
• In countries with life expectancies over 70 years, individuals spend on average about 8 years, or 11.5 per cent of their life span, living with disabilities.
• Eighty per cent of persons with disabilities live in developing countries, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
• Disability rates are significantly higher among groups with lower educational attainment in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), says the OECD Secretariat. On average, 19 per cent of less educated people have disabilities, compared to 11 per cent among the better educated.
• In most OECD countries, women report higher incidents of disability than men.
• The World Bank estimates that 20 per cent of the world's poorest people have some kind of disability, and tend to be regarded in their own communities as the most disadvantaged.
• Women with disabilities are recognized to be multiply disadvantaged, experiencing exclusion on account of their gender and their disability.
• Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse. A small 2004 survey in Orissa, India, found that virtually all of the women and girls with disabilities were beaten at home, 25 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and 6 per cent of women with disabilities had been forcibly sterilized.
• According to UNICEF, 30 per cent of street youths have some kind of disability.
• Mortality for children with disabilities may be as high as 80 per cent in countries where under-five mortality as a whole has decreased below 20 per cent, says the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, adding that in some cases it seems as if children are being "weeded out".
• Comparative studies on disability legislation shows that only 45 countries have anti-discrimination and other disability-specific laws.
• In the United Kingdom, 75 per cent of the companies of the FTSE 100 Index on the London Stock Exchange do not meet basic levels of web accessibility, thus missing out on more than $147 million in revenue.

Education

• Ninety per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school, says UNESCO.
• The global literacy rate for adults with disabilities is as low as 3 per cent, and 1 per cent for women with disabilities, according to a 1998 UNDP study.
• In the OECD countries, students with disabilities in higher education remain under-represented, although their numbers are on the increase, says the OECD.

Employment

• An estimated 386 million of the world's working-age people have some kind of disability, says the International Labour Organization (ILO). Unemployment among the persons with disabilities is as high as 80 per cent in some countries. Often employers assume that persons with disabilities are unable to work.
• Even though persons with disabilities constitute a significant 5 to 6 per cent of India's population, their employment needs remain unmet, says a study by India's National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, in spite of the "People with Disabilities" Act, which reserves for them 3 per cent of government jobs. Of the some 70 million persons with disabilities in India, only about 100,000 have succeeded in obtaining employment in industry.
• A 2004 United States survey found that only 35 per cent of working-age persons with disabilities are in fact working, compared to 78 per cent of those without disabilities. Two-thirds of the unemployed respondents with disabilities said they would like to work but could not find jobs.
• A 2003 study by Rutgers University found that people with physical and mental disabilities continue to be vastly underrepresented in the U.S. workplace. One-third of the employers surveyed said that persons with disabilities cannot effectively perform the required job tasks. The second most common reason given for not hiring persons with disabilities was the fear of costly special facilities.
• A U.S. survey of employers conducted in 2003 found that the cost of accommodations was only $500 or less; 73 per cent of employers reported that their employees did not require special facilities at all.
• Companies report that employees with disabilities have better retention rates, reducing the high cost of turnover, says a 2002 U.S. study. Other American surveys reveal that after one year of employment, the retention rate of persons with disabilities is 85 per cent.
• Thousands of persons with disabilities have been successful as small business owners, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The 1990 national census revealed that persons with disabilities have a higher rate of self-employment and small business experience (12.2 per cent) than persons without disabilities (7.8 per cent).

Violence

• For every child killed in warfare, three are injured and acquire a permanent form of disability.
• In some countries, up to a quarter of disabilities result from injuries and violence, says WHO.
• Persons with disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence or rape, according to a 2004 British study, and less likely to obtain police intervention, legal protection or preventive care.
• Research indicates that violence against children with disabilities occurs at annual rates at least 1.7 times greater than for their peers without disabilities.»

Read the fact sheet in PDF

Font: © United Nations, 2007

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