Forum
Nacional ONG Timor Lorosa'e
The
East Timor National NGO Forum
Kaikoli Street, Dili-East Timor telephone 322772/ etngocentre@hotmail.com
Mr Chairman, cabinet
members and esteemed guests.
The NGO community recognises the difficult decisions that were made to formulate the 2001-2 budget. We also appreciate the difficult decisions that will surround the future fiscal policy to ensure sustainability of East Timor’s public finances.
I would like to make two brief points:
Firstly, the issues of transparency:
NGOs believe that transparency is a founding principle on which a democratic government is based. We urge that mechanisms for transparency of public finances are prioritised.
NGOs believe that the East Timorese people must direct their own development, This includes decisions around funding particularly given that so many difficult decisions will need to be made on spending priorities. NGOs promote the principle of decentralised and participatory budget making as detailed by Emilia Pires of the NPDA.
To date the TFET and CFET have been managed by international staff. As it is clear the international community will continue to play a major part in the management budget processes in East Timor. Our question is: “How will the East Timorese people control over the budget making processes in the independent East Timor”
Secondly, the need for a medium to long-term strategy which has been raised by others around the table:
The NGOs welcome the pledges for continued commitment and financial support to East Timor, by you, the donors. NGOs strongly advocate for a medium to long-term development strategy that must be developed in consultation with the women and men of East Timor. We understand that the NPDA is setting the base for establishing such a strategy. This strategy must also be linked to poverty assessment activities that are currently been undertaken by the NPDA in collaboration with the ADB, WB and UNDP. It is critical that the funding strategy is integrated with this long-term development strategy.
We fully appreciate that there will be difficult funding decisions to be made, we also fully understand the desire that East Timor does not become a nation dependent on aid, however we also strongly believe that the true development needs of the East Timorese people need to be fully considered in the difficult decision making towards financial sustainability.
Reductions in support for social development activities need to be carefully considered to ensure that they do not jeopardise the improvements in health, education and livelihoods to date nor jeopardise the long-term requirements for human development to maintain the economic development required to ensure a just poverty reduction.
The international community owes this to the people of East Timor
East
Timor National NGO Forum / Forum Nacional ONG Timor Lorosa'e
Updated June 14
Umbrella agency for East Timorese Non-Government
Organisations (NGOs)
VISION: To contribute to the building
of a pluralist, democratic, just and sustainable East Timor through the
development of a strong, independent and responsible civil society committed
to upholding and making real in the daily life of the community, both village
and urban, the full range of human rights so that all East Timorese, particularly
the poor and disadvantaged, can enjoy the fruits of liberation and development
in an East Timor forever free.
MISSION: To realise its vision
by promoting a culture of learning, cooperation, partnership with the community
and respect for human rights and good practice amongst East Timorese NGOs
and between them and other development actors, both domestic and international,
and by serving as a collective, independent voice for the rights and needs
of the community.
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES: a rights
approach to development; inclusiveness, participation; accountability;
gender balance; respect for the environment; non-party political; non-sectarian;
good governance; volunteerism.
Kaikoli Street, Dili-East Timor
Telephone +670(390)322772
E-mail: etngocentre@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/etngoforum/index.html
Jun 7 ETNGO Forum: Donors Meeting must
be for Rural People: http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/01junrural.htm
Jun 13 ETNGO Forum: The voice of Civil
Society calls the Donors: http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/01jundonors.htm
See
also:
BD:
Financing Reconstruction in East Timor - A collection of recent reports
and articles