Daily Yomiuri (Japan) July 21, 2000

Official: East Timor needs skilled workers

Mami Tsukahara, Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

The serious shortage of experienced workers in public and private sectors in East Timor is the first obstacle to be overcome so that the war-ravished region can be set on the road to recovery, a U.N. official said Thursday.

"There are many challenges...the shortage of experienced and trained people to operate both in the government and the private sector," David Rendall, head of the East Timor Implementation Facility of the U.N. Office for Project Services, said in an interview with The Daily Yomiuri.

"Capacity building of the people of East Timor and the development of the social and production sectors are essential," he said.

Earlier this month, the government announced it would grant about 28.7 million dollars in emergency aid to the U.N. Development Program and UNICEF to assist its progress toward nationhood.

East Timor is the first case in which Japan has taken the initiative in setting up assistance projects, such as improving the water-supply system in the capital of Dili and constructing road, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Rendall, who heads a U.N. office in East Timor carrying out these missions, said he appreciated Japan's decision to help build social infrastructure.

"Without a water supply or access (routes), it is very difficult to provide fundamental services, such as health, education and other social services," he said. "These are the first major challenges (governments extending aid) face. It is the cornerstone that enables other things (in the rehabilitation process) to happen."

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