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Timor-Leste
SNAPSHOT
Date of independence: 2002
Capital: Dili
Population: 925,000
Annual income per person: $550
Source: World Bank Development Indicators
USAID IN EAST TIMOR timor-leste.usaid.gov
CONTACTS
USAID Representative
Flynn Fuller
Department of State/USAID
8200 Jakarta Place
Washington, D.C. 20189
Desk Officer
Deidra Winston
Tel: (202) 712-5377
Email: dwinston@usaid.gov
A father shows his clinic
registration card while waiting in
line with other patients at the
new health clinic in Malabe,
Ermera District. The new
USAID-sponsored health clinic
is part of a network that
provides health care to more
than 15 percent of East Timor’s
population. (Photo: NCBA)
Overview
After 24 years of Indonesian occupation, Timor-Leste became independent in 2002. Timor-Leste has significant offshore oil reserves and plays an important role in regional stability, yet it is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. Its small domestic market, island status, mountainous terrain, and poor infrastructure represent formidable challenges. Despite these challenges, Timor-Leste has made remarkable progress since 1999 in establishing a democratic state and revitalizing its economy. In 2006 it was one of 23 countries worldwide designated as fully eligible for assistance from the Millennium Challenge Account. Unfortunately, violence broke out anew in 2006, forcibly displacing 150,000 people. As the political and security crisis continues, USAID is responding to the humanitarian needs of Timor-Leste’s internally displaced persons to this day and continues to support the country’s long-term development.
Programs
Economic Growth
Unemployment is estimated at more than 20 percent, and labor costs are higher than those in neighboring countries while productivity is lower. To help Timor-Leste revitalize its economy, USAID supports efforts to improve the environment for business start-ups and growth, improve access to regional and global markets, and increase production. Expert advisors assist government officials in drafting economic development and investment policies and legislation and encourage the expansion of the financial sector. Business-friendly laws promote business development, trade and investment, and uncontested property rights.
To attract foreign investors and help domestic investors reach export markets, USAID supports the government's new import-export promotion agency. Training in basic business management, finance, and marketing helps businesses of all sizes. Advocacy skills for business support organizations enable them to better represent their members' interests. For farmers, USAID supports a shift from subsistence farming to more diverse, commercially-oriented income with high-value horticultural and industrial crops, hardwood trees, and livestock husbandry.
Governing Justly and Democratically
Since voting for independence, Timor-Leste has developed a new constitution, held free and fair legislative and presidential elections and established new working democratic institutions. USAID supported the government’s legal information campaign, reaching more than 10,000 citizens, informing them about new laws and their rights. USAID provides an advisor to the parliament and supported parliamentary commissions in holding public hearings. USAID has also helped improve transparency in the government through training of independent media groups, support to the government information office, and expanding the quality and reach of the public broadcast service. USAID support for two key government offices provide citizens with a means to make complaints about corruption or civic rights violations. Support for the 2007national elections is provided through: discussions and public consultation; political party training; improved electoral management and monitoring; and voter information.
Investing In People: Maternal And Child Health
A USAID-supported survey in 2003 revealed a maternal mortality ratio of 830 per 100,000 live births and a fertility rate of 7.8, both among the highest in the world. At 12.5 percent, the mortality rate for children under five is also high. To reduce these deaths, USAID works to improve the health care and education given to women and children to promote the best practices of exclusive breastfeeding, hand-washing, pre- and postnatal care and appropriate care-seeking behavior. Malaria, tuberculosis, and dengue are endemic diseases in Timor-Leste. USAID strengthens malaria control by distributing insecticide-treated bed nets to all the country's children and pregnant women while and improving detection and treatment. Technical assistance on diagnosis and drug efficacy is coordinated with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit in Jakarta, which is establishing an infectious diseases laboratory in Timor-Leste. This will strengthen local capacity to prepare for the possible transmission of avian influenza to humans. With the re-emergence of polio in neighboring Indonesia in 2005, USAID funded an emergency polio campaign that immunized more than 90 percent of children under five.
Investing In People: Nutrition and Global Support
USAID emphasizes nutrition and encourages the use of state-of-the-art nutritional interventions such as vitamin A and zinc (which can reduce deaths from diarrhea by 51 percent). After successfully establishing the first national HIV/AIDS program in Timor-Leste, USAID technical assistance led to a $9 million, five-year grant by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria for HIV/AIDS prevention and control.
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