Subject: TLGov: 'Hamutuk Hari'i Futuru' A National Recovery Strategy
‘Hamutuk Hari’i Futuru’
A National Recovery Strategy
19 December 2007
The Office of the Vice Prime-minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste:
Recalling the decision taken by the fourth constitutional Government to task
the Vice Prime Minister with the responsibility for the development and
management of an all of Government recovery strategy from the effects of the
2006 Crisis;
Considering the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the
recommendations that resulted from the Government Retreat on the Establishment
of a Framework for Action to Address the IDP Issues IDPs, which was Chaired by
the Vice Prime-minister;
The present document outlines a framework for recovery and assigns
responsibility to Government entities for its implementation.
Preamble:
The effects of the Crisis that began in April/May 2006 have had impact on the
lives of all East Timorese. The process of recovery will therefore necessarily
be a complex and delicate one. The process will require a concerted effort by
the Government, communities, civil society and the international community to
address both the immediate impact of the crisis and pre-existing community-level
vulnerabilities. As such, the closure of IDP camps cannot be the only focus of
attempts to address recovery. The strategies included within ‘Hamutuk Hari’i
Futuru’ offer a framework by which the Government can harmonise its efforts to
address the many and varied impacts of the Crisis on the society as a whole.
The strategies herein identified are the result of substantive
inter-ministerial deliberations and demonstrate commitment to an all of
Government approach to leading the recovery process. The Government calls upon
civil society and the international community to support it in its efforts to
implement a comprehensive national recovery strategy.
This framework sets out the context within which concrete programmes and
operational plans shall be developed. As such all plans shall work toward not
just supporting IDP return and reintegration but also address the needs of the
wider community.
Objectives of this strategy:
1. To adopt a new vision toward national recovery, one that not only promotes
mutual acceptance but strengthens communities, local economies, stability and
the relationship between the Government and the people of Timor-Leste, whom they
serve.
2. To establish a concerted ‘All of Government’ approach to address the
range of issues, including: social, physical,; legal, economic, security and
political that combine to create obstacles to the resettlement of those who have
been displaced.
3. To meet both the needs of those who have been displaced and the wider
needs of affected communities throughout the country.
Key Elements of the National Strategy
Each of the aspects of Hamutuk Harii Futuru requires clear sets of policies
and operational plans that will allow them to be understood and accessed by
their beneficiaries. While presented here as separate elements all are
interrelated and interdependen; The success of the overall Hamutuk Harii Futuru
Recovery Strategy will be dependent on each of its component initiatives being
prioritised and operationalised as quickly as possible by relevant ministries
and agencies. The Office of the Vice Prime- minister shall ensure the
coordinated implementation of the present strategy.
This Strategy explicitly recognises that each element contained in this
document should build on and strengthen existing Government programmes wherever
possible. The Ministry tasked with leadership of each element is mandated to
ensure overall coordination and integration with co-implementing ministries. The
Lead Ministry shall additionally undertake to integrate the programmes and
activities associated with National Recovery into national development
programming. Lead Ministries will report to the Vice Prime-minister regarding
its implementation and management.
Hamutuk Hari’i Futuru further understands that consultation with
participation of local authorities is a crucial component of the Strategy. Lead
ministries are therefore required to actively seek local leadership engagement
in all phases of design and implementation.
The Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality is tasked with ensuring
that all elements of this Strategy strive to meet the specific protection needs
of women and children and begin to reverse the heightened levels of violence in
homes, schools and society at large that resulted from the Crisis.
Hamutuk Hari’i Uma
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity
Key co-implementing Ministries:
Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Justice (National Directorate of Land
of Property), and Ministry of State Administration.
Objective:
1. To provide IDPs a variety of viable options that allow for their durable
return or resettlement with due respect for their rights and dignity respecting
the international standards established with the context of the guiding
principles on internal displacement.
Principles:
Hamutuk Hari’i Uma’ responds to the need to offer rapid solutions to IDPs
wishing to return to their homes or find alternative resettlement options. All
timelines and projections in this document seek to balance the need for urgent
and immediate action with a realistic analysis of the capacity of relevant
agencies and communities to address the complex challenges associated with its
implementation. The framework timeframes for this element is based on actual
rehabilitation experience to date.
Hamutuk Hari’i Uma’ recognizes that the reconstruction of homes destroyed
or damaged during the Crisis cannot be considered in isolation of the complex
community dynamics that resulted in the initial displacement. Experience
demonstrates that any durable return or resettlement programme will be dependent
on the effectiveness of dialogue and trust-building activities. The (re)construction
process is therefore to be considered a contributing element to the recovery
process, but by no means the primary determinant of its success.
Hamutuk Hari’i Uma shall aim to return people wherever it is safe and
possible to their former homes. In recognition of the ongoing nature of the
development of Land and Property legislation this initiative will concern itself
with restoring the occupants to their former places of occupancy prior to April
2006 and will not address issues of property ownership or be limited by urban
planning initiatives that have yet to be begun.
The framework for this element is based on the understanding that people
currently resident in IDP camps across the country are doing so for a number of
inter-related reasons:
Many have had their houses destroyed, damaged or occupied by others after
their departure and thus no longer have adequate alternative shelter.
Many have been displaced by violence or fear of violence during the Crisis,
and still fear reprisals in the event that they leave the perceived security of
the camp.
Many remain in camps as a means to obtain the humanitarian assistance
currently distributed at these sites and to guarantee that they are included in
any future assistance offered to camp residents.
Many are utilising the camps on an ad-hoc basis as temporary shelter whilst
they study or seek employment.
In order to respect the rights and dignity of IDPs, the Government must offer
a number of options in order that people are empowered and involved in the key
decisions that will affect their future. While persons will benefit from
Government in-kind or financial assistance to (re)build homes, the Government
does not intend to compensate individuals for losses resulting from the Crisis.
The ‘Hamutuk Hari’i Uma’ element is meant to establish the basic
conditions that will enable individuals to begin to rebuild their lives.
Key Actions:
A detailed operational plan identifying lead ministries is attached in annex
I.
Hamutuk Hari’i Protesaun
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity
Co-implementing agencies: Provedoria dos Direitos Humanos, Ministry of
Health, Ministry of Education, Directorate of Statistics, Secretary of State for
Security, Ministry of Justice, National Directorate of Water and Sanitation,
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of State Administration.
Objective:
1. Create a response to vulnerability among the population attributing due
attention to the specific necessities of internal displaced.
Principles:
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s Secretary of
State for Social Security, the Hamutuk Hari’i Protesaun will develop an
integrated programmatic response that aims to meet the needs of the nation’s
most vulnerable groups through the establishment of a social safety net system.
In close coordination with MSS, the National Directorate for Statistics shall
utilize existing data and undertake further data-gathering as required in order
to ensure that social safety net programming is grounded on empirical data.
The condition of, inter-alia, the elderly, disabled, orphans, widows and
returning IDPs will be considered in detail and a suitable response for each
will be sought. The range of responses may include, but are not limited to cash
subsidies and food assistance.
The co-implementing ministries shall be actively engaged in developing
holistic programmes that ensure that needs beyond material requirement are
addressed.
Key Actions:
1. Address the food security needs of the food insecure:
Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity with the technical
support of the National Food Security Committee
In the context of the cessation of General Food Distribution in the camps
beginning in January 2008, the Government must develop a plan that meets the
food security needs of food insecure IDPs registered in camps.
Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity with the technical
support of the National Food Security Committee and in collaboration with the
Ministry of Economy and Development.
Simultaneously, the Government must develop a plan to meet the food security
needs of food insecure groups in the wider communities, including districts
where food security projections indicate particular needs. As demonstrated by
the recent Emergency Food Security Survey, the support provided to food insecure
persons should not be limited to emergency food assistance.
2. Provide psycho-social and other support as required together with food
security strategy:
Responsible ministries: Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of Health and
Ministry of Education as appropriate
Once vulnerable persons are identified and, while efforts are made to meet
their immediate food security needs, the Ministry of Social Solidarity will
liaise with other relevant ministries to ensure other support is provided as
required, for example education and health. Hamutuk Hari’i Estabilidade
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Security & Defence
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of State Administration &
Territorial Planning, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and Ministry of
Social Solidarity.
Objective:
To strengthen the mechanisms of the State to respond to multi-tiered security
issues so as to create an environment of stability that is conducive to the
return or resettlement of IDPs, in keeping with the protection responsibilities
undertaken by the State within the context of International Humanitarian
Principles..
Principles:
The Office of the Prime Minister, with the support of relevant supporting
agencies, will continue to seek the resolution of high-level political/security
issues such as the ‘Petitioner’s and Major Alfredo cases.
The Secretary of State for Youth with the support of relevant agencies is
charged with the development and coordination of a strategic response to
conflict and instability stemming from martial and ritual arts groups while
supporting their positive contributions to society.
The Ministry of Social Solidarity shall continue to work within and among
communities to identify sources of conflict and actively seek their resolution.
In that regard, this Strategy fully recognises the need for the expansion and
strengthening of the human, technical and material resources available to that
end within MSS.
The Hamutuk Hari’i Estabilidade element recognises the linkage between
high-level issues such as those mentioned above and perceptions of security at
the community level.
The Hamutuk Hari’i Estabilidade element further recognises the need to
provide support to the post-Crisis recovery of communities as well as to their
returning/relocating members. To this end programs will be coordinated between
key relevant Ministries that, through consultation with community leaders,
identify infrastructural and service provision gaps and target the necessary
resources toward their resolution
Key Actions:
1. Implement an information campaign that highlights the ongoing successes of
efforts to address high-level political and security issues:
Responsible Ministry: Office of the Prime Minister
Through direct and close coordination with relevant ministries the Office of
the Prime Minister will develop a public information campaign detailing, to the
extent possible and advisable, the progress being made with regard to high-level
security issues. This should incorporate mechanisms for direct participation in
community outreach activities as identified by the Ministry of Social Solidarity
and its partners.
2. Increase police patrols in the camps and communities and build additional
police posts as required:
Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Defense and Security
The stability element is premise on increased UNPoL/PNTL patrolling inside
the IDP camps and in communities. The security forces will seek to re-establish
their presence and response capacity in order to regain the trust of the
community.
3. PNTL and F-FDTL coordinated participation in community dialogue and
outreach activities:
Responsible Ministry: Office of the Vice Prime-minister.
Through the leadership of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, all relevant
Government ministries/State institutions, including PNTL and F-FDTL, shall
nominate focal points that will be made available as necessary to participate in
community dialogue and outreach activities.
4. Clarification and formalization of Suco Council dispute resolution mandate
in relation to formal justice system.
Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Justice in coordination with the Ministry
for State Administration and Territorial Planning.
The Ministry of Justice will clarify the role of Suco Councils vis-à-vis
dispute resolution in order to develop a formally recognised mechanism for a
community-level process that can attain accountability for low-level crimes
committed during the Crisis.
5. Targeted support to Crisis-affected communities
Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity in coordination with
other relevant Ministries as identified through community consultation.
As part of its work promoting dialogue and communication between IDPs and
their intended host communities, staff of the MSS will identify key areas of
concern within the community resulting from, or accentuated by, the Crisis.
Through contact with other relevant Ministries MSS will facilitate meetings
between the community leaders and the appropriate departments to try to ensure
that the return and reintegration of IDPs is a process that is perceived to
bring benefit to the community as a whole.
Hamutuk Hari’i Economia Sosial
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Economy and Development
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Social Solidarity.
Objective:
Create livelihood opportunities throughout the country that have short,
medium and long term benefits for communities and their members, including
special attention to the promotion of economic activities that contribute to the
reintegration of displaced persons.
Principles:
Hamutuk Hari’i Economia Sosial recognises that one’s job and sense of
contribution to society are essential in the development of an individual’s
relationship to the community at large.
While the Strategy is fully cognizant of the need to create immediate
livelihood opportunities in Dili and the Districts, it will ensure that any
programming response is explicitly linked to longer-term Government programming
and result in tangible benefits to the social asset base. Taking into account
the results of recent empirical studies, components of this Strategy will, in as
far as possible, aim to provide livelihood opportunities for longer periods of
time when compared with previous ‘cash for work’ initiatives.
The Strategy will be implemented through the simultaneous creation of a range
of work opportunities that are tailored to a variety of skill sets.
Hamutuk Hari’i Economia social recognises the need to expand credit
opportunities to across the country. While the Government will not itself
implement new micro-credit schemes, it will create the conditions that will
allow existing micro-credit institutions to expand its customer base.
Key Activities:
1. Implementation of medium-term employment generation schemes in support of
infrastructure improvements. Employment schemes shall be comprised of labour
rotations of at least three months.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Infrastructure
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Economy and Development, Ministry of
State Administration and Territorial Planning, Ministry of Social Solidarity and
Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Education and Ministry
of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The Ministry of Economy and Development will liaise with the Ministry of
Infrastructure, Ministry and Tourism, Commerce and Industry and Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries to identify key public infrastructure projects to be
supported by labour intensive employment generation schemes. As far as possible,
participants in employment creation schemes shall be channelled into appropriate
training programmes. The Government will additionally seek to integrate good
performers into longer-term employment schemes.
Once priority projects are identified, the Ministry of Infrastructure shall
implement the labour component of the programme.
2. Implementation of medium-term employment generation schemes in support of
agriculture and fisheries, food security related projects. Employment schemes
shall be comprised of labour rotations of at least three months.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Education
and Ministry of Economy and Development.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will identify labour intensive
initiatives in the agriculture and fisheries sectors that result in increased
food production and ameliorate dependence on food imports or geographic-specific
food security issues. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries shall manage an
employment scheme using the model used by the Ministry of Infrastructure for the
implementation of the employment scheme under its responsibility. As far as
possible, participants in employment creation schemes shall be channelled into
appropriate training programmes. The Government will additionally seek to
integrate good performers into longer-term employment schemes.
3. Implementation of medium-term employment generation schemes in support of
environmental protection and recovery programmes. Employment schemes shall be
comprised of labour rotations of at least three months.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Economy and Development
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Education
and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The Ministry of Economy and Development will identify labour intensive
initiatives in the reforestation and environmental protection sectors. The
Ministry of Economy and Development shall manage an employment scheme using the
model used by the Ministry of Infrastructure for the implementation of the
employment scheme under its responsibility. As far as possible, participants in
employment creation schemes shall be channelled into appropriate training
programmes. The Government will additionally seek to integrate good performers
into longer-term employment schemes.
4. Implementation of medium-term employment generation schemes in support of
disaster preparedness and mitigation. Employment schemes shall be comprised of
labour rotations of at least three months.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Education
and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The Ministry of Economy and Development will identify labour intensive
initiatives in the reforestation and environmental protection sectors. The
Ministry of Economy and Development shall manage an employment scheme using the
model used by the Ministry of Infrastructure for the implementation of the
employment scheme under its responsibility. As far as possible, participants in
employment creation schemes shall be channelled into appropriate training
programmes. The Government will additionally seek to integrate good performers
into longer-term employment schemes.
5. Actively integrate micro-credit institutions into the National Recovery
Strategy and assist in the coordination of their activities.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Economy and Development
The Ministry of Economy and Development work with the Timor-Leste Micro
Finance Institute (TLMFI) to improve access to micro-credit opportunities
throughout the country and to increase the effectiveness of existing programmes.
Hamutuk Hari’i Confiansa
Objective:
Increase trust between the people and the government and to strengthen
communities guaranteeing the participation of the displaced in the planning and
management of initiatives for the promotion of return, resettlement and
reintegration..
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of State Administration and Territorial
Planning, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defense and Security, Ministry of
Education,
Principles:
The Strategy is founded on the understanding that the resettlement of IDP is
the first step on a journey towards reintegration and social recovery. A series
of further stages of support is required to maintain the stability of
communities that receive IDP’s and their families. This is part of the larger
process of building trust and understanding between the Government and its
citizenry.
All elements of the Strategy are to a large extent dependent on the
strengthening of trust throughout society and, crucially, between the citizens
and their Government.
Given the existing cleavages within society a concerted effort is needed
increase the space for genuine dialogue between and among communities and
between the people and the Government. All dialogue and trust-building efforts
are to be planned in advance so that they are likely to result in the
identification of key concerns and a subsequent concrete set of responses.
Trust-building efforts will engage a variety of actors at various levels.
Key Actions:
1. Strengthen the coordination mechanisms and institutional capacity for the
preparation, implementation and concrete follow-up of community dialogue in line
with guidelines developed for the Ministry of Social Solidarity.
Lead ministries: Ministry of Social Solidarity
Co-implementing ministries: The role of other ministries is dependent on
field questions, concerns and likely Government response.
2. The Ministry of Education, through the Secretary of State for Youth will
actively engage with youth and martial arts groups to support their
organizational capacities to positively contribute to their communities
throughout the country.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Education
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry for Economy and Development
3. Comprehensive information campaign will commence that uses a range of
media technologies to inform the public of all key developments with regard to
this Strategy and its implementation. Recognizing that it is necessary to deepen
relationships between the people and the Government, the public information
campaign includes participation of key Ministries and government representatives
at community dialogues. Further, district level public information sharing
events that involve suco and aldeia level representatives will be organized.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Social Solidarity
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of State Administration and Territorial
Planning
4. Ministry of Tourism will organize a series of internal tourism events to
create opportunities for the people of Timor-Leste to visit and learn from their
fellow citizens.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Tourism
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of State Administration, Ministry of
Social Solidarity, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries
5. Through the Office of the Provedoria, conduct monitoring campaigns in
communities to which IDPs have returned or resettled to ensure that
trust-building efforts are successful and to provide assistance as necessary.
Lead Ministry: Office of the Provedor for Human Rights
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of State
Administration
6. The Strategy will initiate the development of a common and shared popular
history. Working in collaboration with the older members of the population,
former combatants of the Falantil and other key active members of the resistance
from both East and West, the Ministry of Education will conduct a series of
educational events that will provide opportunities for these people to share
their stories and histories.
Lead Ministry: Ministry of Education
Co-implementing ministries: Ministry of Social Solidarity, Ministry of State
Administration
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