Oxfam Community Aid Abroad’s East Timor Program Manager, Keryn Clark, has official status at the closed meetings and will represent international non-government organisations (NGO’s) working in East Timor. Major donor nations including Japan, Portugal and Australia will all attend, as will the World Bank, UNTAET, representatives of East Timorese organisations and officials from the East Timor Transitional Authority.
Keryn Clark said: “The donors’ conference is a key meeting in the lead up to the country’s first democratic elections in August this year. Oxfam Community Aid Abroad works closely with East Timorese organisations and strongly believes that to achieve lasting change, East Timorese people must direct the nation building process.”
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad has been working in East Timor for many years supporting the development of a dynamic civil society. The organisation believes that it is essential to strengthen local capacity in East Timor, if national policies are to reflect the lives of ordinary men and women.
“As part of the NGO delegation, we are calling on East Timor’s major donors to look at appropriate means for providing ongoing crucial support to the people of East Timor at this critical time in the country’s history,” Keryn Clark said.
The international and national non-government organisations in East Timor are calling for:
* A longer timeframe for political transition – Donors are asked to support a longer time frame for popular consultation on the constitution, so that East Timorese men and women can be consulted effectively.
* A clear UNTAET exit plan – Donors are asked to support clear a process for UNTAET withdrawal that includes transfer of skills and capacity to East Timorese institutions.
* Long-term strategy for development –
Donor nations are asked deliver appropriate funding taking into consideration
the long-term needs of the East Timorese people.
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad’s Program Manager Keryn Clark is available for interview in Canberra from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 June. Please call her mobile, 0409 945 045 or Caroline Green at Oxfam Community Aid Abroad on 03 9289 9413 or 0409 181 454
Media Coordinator
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad
Telephone 03 9289 9413 or
0409 181 454
Fax 03 9419 5895
email: cazzg@caa.org.au
Community
Aid Abroad - Oxfam Australia Updated Feb 17
CAA is an independent, Australian, secular
and voluntary community-based organisation that brings together people
from diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures in order to build a fairer
world. Community Aid Abroad merged with the Australian
Freedom From Hunger Campaign in 1992, and the combined organisation
is the Australian member of Oxfam
International.
CAA's
work in East Timor includes rehabilitation of urban water supply systems;
health promotion; capacity building with Timorese groups involved in environmental
health activities, as well as other local community groups undertaking
activities ranging from women's collectives, to human rights, and carpentry
and other start-up ventures.
Homepage: http://www.caa.org.au/
ETimor Webpage: http://www.caa.org.au/world/asia/east_timor/index.html
See also:
May
14 LH: NGO Forum declines to join UNTAET Constitutional Process
Letter added May 16
"The NGO
Forum has chosen to coordinate with, but remain independent of, the
UNTAET Constitution building process because of strong concerns that UNTAET’s
process is rushed and highly inadequate." Lao
Hamutuk, East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis
Apr
17 STL: Mario Carrascalao: UNTAET Does Not Have A Timorization Target
News from ETimor added Apr 19
“In order for Timor Lorosae to be fully
independent, it is necessary [for the transitional administration] to have
full capacity-building in order to create a definite level of Timorese
administrators till all the administrative positions in UNTAET are
filled by Timorese people,” Mario Carrascalao, vice-president of CNRT/CN
BD: Financing Reconstruction in East Timor - A collection of recent reports and articles