Foreign ambassadors in Timor-Leste have attended a conference on the decentralization process and preparations for the 2017 general elections.
The conference was organized by the Timorese government through the Ministry of State Administration (MSA).
Minister of State Administration Dionisio Babo Soares said it was important the government explain the process to foreign ambassadors as it was difficult for them to access information in the country.
“We invited them for this briefing on the decentralization process as local authorities are beginning to implement this [process] in the municipalities and the preparations for the general elections in 2017,” he said following the meeting at the UNDP in Kaikoli, Dili.
He said it was also important that ambassadors understand the efforts the government was making as so far access to information was limited to local newspapers and word of mouth.
He said the decentralization process would be carried out in three phases: de-concentration, decentralization, administrative centralization.
For the first phase the central government has allocated a percentage of the budget to local governments to build the capacity of human resources and implement the program.
If the first phase is successful, then local governments will be permitted to manage their own budget independently.
If local authorities succeed in implementing the first two steps, Soares said they would be able to achieve the third phase. This means local authorities will be totally independent in terms of human resources and budget.
Planning for decentralization began in 2000, but initially failed as there was no legal basis for the process. However, now the law has been approved, the implementation process is now moving forward.
A team, comprising representatives the Public Works, State Administration and Finance ministries, has conducted an analysis of the competence of local authorities to define and manage the budget for the program’s implementation.
Meanwhile, Japan ambassador to Timor-Leste Eiji Yamamoto said the conference had provided important and useful information on how partners could contribute to the decentralization process.
“I think it is useful information for us to help the government of Timor-Leste in holding free and fair elections,” he said.
He called on the government to increase the number of voters and promote women’s involvement in politics.
The conference was organized by the government with support from the UNDP in response to requests from the diplomatic community in the country.
