TimorGAP begins exploring Pualaca Block by itself

 Liga ba blog ida ne'e iha Tetum 

As some people know, on 24 June 2022, TimorGAP launched the Pualaca Block project with a socialization program for their petroleum exploration activities in contract area PSC-TL-OT-21-17, after signing the Production-Sharing Contract (PSC) in December 2021. The Government awarded this PSC to TimorGAP through a secret process – there was no public tender or opportunity for other companies to make proposals.

Petroleum and gas extraction activities have two main phases – exploration (research) and production. In the first phase oil companies begin to look for information and collect data, including through seismic research and test wells. From industry-wide experience, most of this research does not find a reserve with enough commercial value to justify production.

One past well in the contract area is in the Pualaca aldeia in Laclubar suku: a small oil and gas deposit among several seeps scattered in this area, as local people know. This field has been developed since 1892, in the Portuguese period, and produced oil for local consumption through a small refinery which was run by Dr. José Ramos-Horta’s older brother.  Oil and gas has seeped into the local environment there for more than 130 years; there is no strong reason to believe that there’s enough left for commercially viable production. At its peak, annual production from Pualaca was less than Bayu-Undan produces every half-hour.

TimorGAP is beginning these exploration activities as operator and 100% owner; before now their other projects were always operated by their joint venture partners, including Eni, Timor Resources, Woodside and SundaGas. Operating without any experience increases risks to the community and the environment, and TimorGAP has never done these activities before.

Prior to the 24 June event, the relevant authorities – the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority (ANPM) and Ministry of Petroleum and Mining (MPM) – had not shared the contents of the PSC on the internet or the Jornál da República. However, ANPM did publish the contract on their website this week, after La’o Hamutuk reminded them it was legally required. According to Article 29 of the Petroleum Activities Law, the Ministry must publish a summary in the Jornál da República and make the full text publicly available.

The Pualaca Block covers 1,575 km2 in three municipalities, from Laclubar, Natarbora and Barique (Manatuto) to Fatuberliu (Manufahi) and Dilor (Viqueque). TimorGAP and its subsidiary plan to conduct aerial research (Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry - FTG)) before deciding to proceed with the seismic research phase. We understand that they have contracted the FTG work to be done during July, but we have not yet seen any sign of a Terms of Reference or initial process for environmental licensing. As project proponent, TimorGAP must present a proposed Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Management Plan when they apply for a license, and the lengthy process requires transparency, public consultation and thorough analysis before the operation can start.

At this launch, in addition to the Minister of Petroleum and Mining and the ANPM, civil and military authorities from all three municipalities participated, including PNTL and F-FDTL commanders. TimorGAP, ANPM and MPM gave general explanations that Timor-Leste needs to continue to look for and produce petroleum because Bayu-Undan is almost empty and the Petroleum Fund will run out in ten years. They also explained that the industry needs people with specific, high-level skills, and will establish a team to bring together representatives for detailed consultation in specific places. In their speeches, police commanders tended to threaten and use harsh language directed to local people, especially the youth. In the discussion period, participants suggested that when petroleum activities are underway, it would be better to promote healthy dialogue than this approach of showing force and bullying people to comply.

Due to limited time for discussion, La’o Hamutuk was not allowed to speak or ask questions at the socialization event, although we appreciate that people from the community and students raised important issues and received good responses from MPM, ANPM and TimorGAP. The respondents promised to introduce local content, but failed to explain how they would involve people from the local area, saying that they should wait until the speeches are over to realize truly participatory consultation, knowledge, and mutual understanding, including providing more complete information to people in affected communities. About 200 people, mostly men, attended the event; many came from Dili as well as 20 police, some soldiers, and community representatives.

La’o Hamutuk thinks that a better way for the Government of Timor-Leste to move away from depending on nonrenewable oil and gas resources is to promote agriculture and transformative industries. We should use some of the money invested in financial markets through the Petroleum Fund to improve our human resources and develop a diversified, sustainable economy. We believe that unleashing ourselves from petroleum dependency is the first step along a genuine pathway which will be more equitable and just, addressing long-existing structural problems.

We appreciate the closing intervention by the President of TimorGAP that indicated there will be deeper consultations to hear various parties’ rights, concerns and interests before the process proceeds. We encourage everyone involved to use these opportunities to help local people understand the unmentioned risks which will come with petroleum activities in the contracted areas.

Thank you.

TimorGAP Hahú Esplorasaun Mesak iha Bloku Pualaca

 Link to this post in English 

Hanesan públiku karik hatene, iha dia 24 Juñu 2022, TimorGAP realiza lansamentu projetu Timor Gap Pualaca Block no programa sosializasaun ba atividade esplorasaun petróleu iha area kontratu PSC-TL-OT-21-17. PSC (Production-Sharing Contract) ka Kontratu Fahe Produsaun ida ne’e asina iha Dezembru tinan 2021, Governu fó PSC ba TimorGAP liu husi prosesu segredu – laiha konkursu públiku ka oportunidade ba kompañia sira seluk atu fó proposta.

Atividade petróleu no gas, iha faze rua prinsipál, husi peskiza no produsaun, esplorasaun mak kompañia petrolíferu sira hahú husi buka informasaun ka halibur dadus, sízmiku too perfurasaun (teste well), esperiénsia hotu indústria ne’e nian maioria parte peskiza sira la hetan rezerva ho valor sufisiente atu justifika produsaun. 

Posu ida husi area kobertura ba bloku ida ne’e mak iha aldeia Pualaca iha Suku Laclubar, rezerva ki’ik ida ne’e mina-rai no gas naklekar tiha iha rai leten hanesan públiku hatene, kampu ida ne’e dezenvolve husi tempu okupasaun portugés dezde 1892 no halo produsaun liu husi harii refinaria ki’ik ida ne’ebé jere husi Dr. José Ramos-Horta nia maun hodi uza ba konsumu lokál. Mina no gas sai ba rai leten iha posu Pualaca ne’e la’o tiha ona maizumenus tinan 130, nune’e laiha serteza forte atu iha rezerva signifikante atu justifika komersialmente ba produsaun.

TimorGAP foin atu halo atividade esplorasaun iha area ida ne’e hanesan operadór mesak, antes ne’e sira nian projetu seluk sempre iha operadór seluk hanesan Eni, Timor Resources, Woodside, no SundaGas. Iha indústria estrativa sira ezije esperiénsia boot atu hamenus risku boot ba komunidade no ambiente, TimorGap rasik laiha esperiénsia atu halo atividade hanesan ne’e mesak.

To’o lansamentu no sosializasaun ida ne’e realiza, autoridade relevante ANPM no MPM rasik la publika konteúdu ba PSC ne’e iha internet no Jornál da Repúblika, ANPM foin publika PSC ida ne’e hafoin La’o Hamutuk relembra sira nian obrigasaun legal. Tuir Lei Atividade Petrolíferu artigu 29 prevee kona ba dokumentu sira ne’ebé tenke publika husi Ministériu ka instituisaun relevante sira ba iha Jornál da Repúblika mak avizu inklui selebrasaun autorizasaun sira.

Area kobertura iha Bloku ida ne’e too iha area 1,575 km kuadradu iha munisipiu tolu, husi Laclubar, Natarbora, Barique (munisipiu Manatuto) too Fatuberliu (munisípiu Manufahi) no Dilor (munisípiu Viqueque).  Tuir planu TimorGap ho nian subsidiáriu sei halo peskiza ho aviaun (Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry (FTG) detail) antes determina ba peskiza iha faze sízmiku. Ami rona katak kontrator ba servisu ida ne’e sei realiza FTG iha fulan jullu nian rohan maibé too agora ami seidauk haree atividade ida ne’e nian TOR no prosesu lisensamentu ambientál. TimorGAP nudár proponente presiza aprezenta proposta Avaliasaun Impaktu Ambientál no Planu Jestaun Ambientál molok bele hetan lisensa, ida ne’ebé liu husi transparénsia, konsultasaun públiku, no lori tempu atu analiza kle’an antes permite operadór hala’o nian operasaun.

Iha lansamentu refere, aléinde partisipa husi Ministru Petróleu no Minériu, ANPM, marka prezensa mós husi autoridade sivíl no militár sira husi munisipiu tolu, Viqueque, Manufahi no Manatuto inklui Komandante FDTL no PNTL. Sosializasaun ida ne’e TimorGap, ANPM no MPM esplika jerál de’it katak Timor-Leste iha nesesidade atu kontinua ho esplorasaun no produsaun sira seluk tanba Bayu-Undan atu hotu no Fundu Petrolíferu atu remata iha tinan 10 tuir mai, esplika mós katak indústria ida ne’e ezije ema ho skill espesífiku no as, afeta rai, nune’e sei estabelese ekipa ida hodi halibur reprezentante oin-oin atu halo konsultasaun detallu ho fatin espesífiku iha area autorizasaun. Husi Diskursu Komandante PNTL sira nian, iha tendénsia ba ameasa ka hasai liafuan kro’at ba povu, liu-liu ba foin-sa’e sira. Iha tempu diskusaun partisipante sira husu, bainhira atividade petrolíferu ida ne’e la’o bele promove diálogu saudavel duke aproxima ho maneira hatudu forsa no obriga atu kumpre. 

Maske iha limitasaun tempu durante diskusaun, komisaun la permite La’o Hamutuk atu ko’alia iha sosializasaun refere ka halo intervensaun ka pergunta ruma, maibé ami apresia tanba komunidade lokál no estudante sira loke asuntu importante sira no hetan resposta di’ak husi MPM, ANPM no TimorGAP rasik, sira promete atu introdús konteúdu lokál maibé la konsege atu oferese maneira no prosesu sira atu envolve populasaun sira iha area ne’ebá, maibé ita tenke hein too diskursu sira bele tau iha pratika katak, sei realiza duni konsultasaun Partisipativa ho koñesimentu no konsiénsia mutua komunidade nian inklui fornese informasaun kompletu ba públiku no komunidade afetadu sira. Lansamentu no sosializasaun ida ne’e maizumenus ema na’in 200 maioria mane, barak mós ba husi Dili, inklui membru Polísia hamutuk 20, F-FDTL balun no reprezentante komunidade sira. 

La’o Hamutuk hanoin katak dalan di’ak liu mak Governu Timor-Leste atu muda diresaun husi dependénsia ba rekursu la renovavel petróleu no gas ba promove setór agrikultura no indústria transformadór sira. Bele uza osan uitoan ne’ebé ita investe iha merkadu finanseiru liu husi Fundu Petrolíferu agora ba dezenvolve rekursu umanu di’ak no dezenvolve ekonomia diversifikadu no sustentável. Ami fiar katak kore an husi dependénsia ba petróleu mak pasu inísiu la’o iha dalan ne’ebé loos no define dalan seluk ne’ebé ekitável no justu liu hodi solusaun loloos ba problema estruturál seluk ne’ebé eziste tinan barak.

Ami apresia Prezidente TimorGAP nian intervensaun ikus katak sei iha konsultasaun ne’ebé kle’an liu atu rona parte oin-oin nian diretu, preokupasaun no interese antes prosesu hotu la’o ba oin. Ami enkoraja atu uza oportunidade sira hodi ajuda komunidade sira atu hatene risku sira ne’ebé sei husik hela husi atividade petróleu no gas iha area sira ne’ebé hetan autorizasaun. 

Hanoin husi LH ba Parseiru Dezenvolvimentu sira

 Link to this blog in English

Iha 10 Juñu 2022, Governu Timor-Leste organiza reuniaun anuál ho Parseiru Dezenvolvimentu sira iha edifísiu Ministériu Finansa, Dili. Tuir mai mak hanoin badak balu husi La’o Hamutuk ne’ebé fahe ona ba partisipante. Bele liga ba informasaun kle’an liu kona ba soru-mutu refere (inklui video no aprezentasaun sira) no ami nia komentáriu iha lian Tetum no Ingles.  

Komentáriu husi La’o Hamutuk ba Enkontru Parseiru Dezenvolvimentu Timor-Leste 2022

La’o Hamutuk nudár organizasaun Sosiedade Sivíl ne’ebé liu dékada rua, partisipa ativu iha prosesu konstrusaun no dezenvolvimentu Timor-Leste nian, liu husi monitoriza, analiza no halo advokasia bazeia ba evidénsia no polítika públiku Timor-Leste nian. La’o Hamutuk mós asume papél hodi fahe informasaun oin-oin ba povu atu bele iha kbiit hodi enfrenta dezafiu sira nudár Estadu no Nasaun, no atu fahe informasaun no perspetiva sira ba ukun-na’in sira iha Governu no parseiru dezenvolvimentu sira.

Aproveita tempu ida ne’e, hato’o agradesimentu ba kontribuisaun hotu ne’ebé parseiru dezenvolvimentu sira oferese iha momentu difisil hotu povu Timor nian inklui krize saúde no dezastre naturais dala rua tuituir malu iha istória ikus Timor-Leste nian.

Situasaun atuál Timor-Leste nian

Fundu Petrolíferu Sei Mamuk Lalais.

Diskusaun no previzaun sira ne’ebé resposta husi Orsamentu Retifikativu 2022 no Proposta Lei Grande Opsaun do Planu ba OGE 2023, husik hela mensajen prinsipál ba ita hotu katak Fundu Petrolíferu sei hotu lalais liu sein investe ba interese Povu Timor-Leste nian ba tempu naruk.

Agora, produsaun Bayu-Undan besik atu remata, no laiha kampu seluk prontu atu fornese reseita. Durante Janeiru-Abril 2022, valor investimentu iha Fundu Petrolíferu tun 10% ($1.6 biliaun). Maske Ministériu Finansas inklui projesaun grave kona-ba presépio financeiro (fiscal cliff) iha Lei Grande Opsaun do Planu ba OGE 2023 ne’ebé foin pasa husi Parlamentu Nasionál, realidade katak situasaun ida ne’e bele mosu lalais liu kompara ho sira nia estimizasaun. 

Situasaun ida ne’e fó ameasa ba ita nia nasaun no bem-estar povu nian, tanba ita nia kapasidade atu finansia setór báziku hanesan saúde no edukasaun, sei perigozu tebes bainhira Fundu Petrolíferu kuaze mamuk ona. Situasaun ida ne’e bele mós fó ameasa ba ita nia soberania, se Governu deside atu foti empréstimu ne’ebé Timor-Leste sei susar atu selu fali.

Diversifikasaun Ekonómiku Seidauk Realiza.

Ami haree iha tendénsia atu kontinua gasta osan ba Projetu Tasi Mane no projetu boot sira seluk ne’ebé nia retornu nafatin iha duvida, too agora seidauk klaru ba benefísiu husi Projetu Tasi Mane atu dezenvolve ekonomia Timor-Leste nian. 

Tendénsia atu investe iha projetu boot sira ne’ebé falta atu hamosu diversifikasaun ekonómiku ne’ebé sustentável, ida ne’e lori konsekuénsia ba ita nia nasaun atu depende nafatin ba importasaun. Kada tinan, Timor-Leste importa sasán ho valór kuaze tokon $500. Esportasaun naun-petrolíferu maizumenus tokon $20 kada tinan. Produsaun ai-han lokál la sufisiente atu hasoru nesesidade populasaun.

To’o agora, Timor-Leste kobre défise komérsiu ida ne’e ho osan husi reseita petrolíferu no retornu investimentu. Maibé ne’e la’ós solusaun sustentável, tanba hanesan ita hatene ona Fundu Petrolíferu bele mamuk iha tinan sanulu tuir mai. 

Bainhira Fundu mamuk ona, nasaun ne’e sei la bele selu importasaun barak no impaktu ba povu sei todan liu tan se produsaun ai-han lokál seidauk aumenta maka’as. Agora, maioria husi populasaun la iha seguransa ai-han, no labarik ho idade menus husi tinan lima iha Timor-Leste ho kondisaun isin ra’es badak (stunted). Se situasaun ida ne’e sai grave liu, oinsá ho nia impaktu ba povu? Diversifikasaun ekonomia la’ós asuntu abstratu de’it - ne’e fó impaktu maka’as ba povu nia moris.

Mudansa Klimátika halo situasaun ida ne’e grave liu tan.

Mundu tomak preokupa tebes kona-ba mudansa klimátika, ne'ebe mai husi fonte sira inklui produsaun mina no gas ne’ebé hasai gas estufa hodi estraga klima no rezulta krize umanu oin-oin iha mundu inklui Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste la ketak husi planeta mundu nian, ida ne’ebé hetan efeitu no kontribui mós ba mudansa klimátika ne’ebé umanidade mundiál enfrenta.

Impaktu husi mudansa klimátika bele halo problema balun ne’ebé ita enfrenta hela sei sai todan liu tan, inklui inseguransa ai-han, produsaun agrikultura menus, asesu ba bee moos no kualidade infrastrutura. Ita la bele adapta-an nafatin ba situasaun ne’ebé kontinua sai grave liu tan, no presiza esforsu husi nasaun boot sira (inklui doadór) atu hamenus sira nia emisaun gás estufa.

Rekomendasaun ba Parseiru Dezenvolvimentu Sira

• Aumenta investimentu ba ekonomia produtivu, ne’ebé orienta ba konsumu doméstiku. Ami hanoin katak Timor-Leste bele iha liu tan kbiit atu enfrenta situasaun aat oin-oin iha futuru kuandu ita harii duni ekonomia ida ne’ebé produtivu no sustentável. Ami husu doadór sira atu foka liu ba produsaun agrikultura ne’ebé bele responde ba krize seguransa ai-han no nutrisaun. Liu husi hametin sistema produsaun eskala-ki’ik ne’ebé eziste ona, no valoriza kapasidade, forsa no vontade inklui kondisaun ba atividade ne’ebé eziste ona iha populasaun.
  
  
• Investe atu haforsa no hametin Timor-Leste nia rekursu ho valor boot liu – ita nia povu. Atu la’o ba futuru, Timor-Leste presiza apoiu husi doadór sira atu hadi’ak liu tan ita nia sistema edukasaun no saúde, no atu hamenus kedas malnutrisaun no pobreza. La ho povu ne’ebé forte, liuliu joven no labarik sira, ita nunka bele harii nasaun forte.
  
  
• Ajuda polítiku na’in sira atu kompriende katak indústria estrativa sira – petróleu, mineiru – labele fornese osan no empregu adekuadu ba Timor-Leste, no sei labele sustenta ekonomia no orsamentu estadu iha futuru. Ita tenke hamenus atensaun ba fantasia ida ne’e, no halo esforsu maka’as atu dezenvolve ekonomia sustentável, bazeia ba rekursu umanu no renovavel sira ne'ebé ita iha duni – povu, agrikultura, indústria transformadóra, dezenvolve fatin turistiku komunitáriu inklui poténsia seluk ne’ebé bele adopta tuir karakterístika Timor-Leste nian rasik.
  
  
• Parseiru dezenvolvimentu sira bele rekoñese realidade atuál Timor-Leste nian no kontinua aliña an iha prioridade no nesesidade loloos ne’ebé povu no nasaun ne’e presiza. Ami sujere atu kontinua ho inisiativa di’ak atu fó apoiu ba hirak ne’ebé marzinalizadu hanesan feto sira, hirak ne’ebé moris kbiit laek iha área rurál, ema ho defisiénsia, labarik sira ne’ebé ho kondisaun malnutrisaun, sira ne’ebé seidauk hetan asesu ba edukasaun no asesu ba saúde ho di’ak no adekuadu. Nune’e, povu hotu iha área remota sira ne’ebé falta atensaun ka seidauk hetan asisténsia bele moris ho kondisaun ne’ebé di’ak liu no ekitável liu.
  
  
• Ami husu doadór hotu atu aliña sira nia programa kona-ba adaptasaun ba mudansa klimátika ho sira nia nasaun ida-idak nia polítika rasik. Dalan efetivu liu ba hasoru krize mudansa klimátika mak nasaun industrializadu sira tenke hamenus kedas sira nia emisaun. La bele husu nasaun ki’ik hanesan Timor-Leste atu adapta aan nafatin ba situasaun ne’ebé nasaun industrializadu kontinua atu prolonga.
  
  
• Parseiru Dezenvolvimentu sira bele ajuda Governu atu atualiza dadus importante sira ne’ebé bele ajuda Governu dezenvolve polítika bazeia ba evidénsia, inklui halo analiza ba planu programa sai realistíku liu. Hanesan: Demographics and Health Survey ikus halo iha 2016, Household Income and Expenditure Survey halo iha 2011, Living Standards Survey iha 2014 no Labor Force Survey kompletu iha 2013.
  

Konkluzaun

Ami apresia tebes ba vontade másima husi parseiru sira ne’ebé hakarak apoia nasaun ida ne’e no nia povu. Nune’e ami sujere atu suporta ami nia desizor sira ba diresaun ida ne’ebé bele ajuda eleva kapasidade umanu liu-liu hirak ne’ebé marzinalizadu no hakbiit ami nia ekonomia rai laran hodi hametin liu tan ba konsumu doméstiku. Aleinde ne’e, bele nafatin fó asisténsia ba ami nia rai ne’ebé vulneravel tebes ba risku mundiál atu reforsa ami nia reziliénsia ne’ebé bele garante ba moris sustentável liu. Obrigada barak.

LH thoughts for Development Partners

 Blog ida ne'e iha Tetum 

On 10 June 2022, the Government of Timor-Leste held its annual meeting with Development Partners at the Ministry of Finance in Dili. The following is an abridged version of some thoughts that La'o Hamutuk distributed to participants.  Links to more information about the meeting (including videos and presentations) and to our full statement in English or Tetum.

Thoughts from La’o Hamutuk for the 2022 Timor-Leste Development Partners Meeting

La’o Hamutuk, a 20-year-old civil society organization, actively participates in constructing and developing Timor-Leste through monitoring, analysis and evidence-based advocacy related to public policies. La’o Hamutuk also distributes information to help empower our people, and shares perspectives with leaders in Government and development partners.

At this time, we would like to thank development partners for their contributions in this difficult time, including the health crisis and two natural disasters.

Timor-Leste’s current situation

The Petroleum Fund will soon be empty.

The discussion and projections on the 2022 Budget Rectification and the 2023 Major Planning Options law reminded everyone that the Petroleum Fund will be used up quickly, unless we rapidly invest in the long-term interests of the Timorese people.

Right now, Bayu-Undan production is almost finished, and no other fields are ready to provide revenue. Between January and April 2022, the value of the Petroleum Fund’s investments dropped 10% ($1.6 billion).  Although the Ministry of Finance included alarming projections about a fiscal cliff in the Major Planning Options law which Parliament just passed, this calamity could happen even sooner than they estimated.

The fiscal cliff threatens our people’s well-being, because our capacity to pay for basic services, such as health and education, will be constrained when our Petroleum Fund is empty.  Our sovereignty is also at risk if Government takes out loans which it cannot repay.

Timor-Leste’s economy is not yet diversified.

We continue to spend money on the Tasi Mane Project, ports and airports -- projects with dubious returns. We have not seen any evidence that these projects will help develop Timor-Leste's economy.

The pattern of spending on large projects undercuts diversifying a sustainable economy, and causes our nation to continue to depend on imports. Every year, Timor-Leste imports around $500 million worth of goods, but our non-petroleum exports are about $20 million per year. Local food production cannot feed our people.

So far, Timor-Leste covers our trade deficit with money from petroleum revenues and investment returns. But this is not sustainable, as the Petroleum Fund could be empty in ten years.

When the Fund is empty, our nation will not be able to pay for imports, and, unless local food production has greatly increased, our people will suffer even more. Already, most people have no food security,  and most children under five are stunted. If this situation worsens, how will it impact us? Economic diversification is not an abstract issue – it is essential for survival.

Climate change makes this situation even worse.

The entire world is very worried about climate change, which is caused by large industries, including the production of oil and gas, which release greenhouse gases, leading to human crises all over the planet, including in Timor-Leste. We feel the impacts and also contribute to climate change that all humanity is confronting.

Climate change turns some of our problems into catastrophes, including food insecurity, reduced agricultural production, access to clean water, and quality of infrastructure. We cannot adapt indefinitely to a situation which continues to get worse, and every nation (especially large ones, including donors) must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Recommendations for Development Partners

• Invest more in the productive economy, oriented toward domestic consumption.  Timor-Leste will be able to confront difficult situations more effectively if our economy is productive and sustainable. Please prioritize agricultural production to address food insecurity and malnutrition by strengthening existing systems of small-scale production and building on the capacity, strength and commitment that our people already have.
  
  
• Invest in Timor-Leste’s most valuable resource – our people. Donors can help improve our education and health systems, and to quickly reduce malnutrition and poverty. Without a strong population, especially children and youth, we will never build a strong nation.
  
  
• Help our politicians understand that extractive industries – petroleum and mining – cannot provide enough money and jobs for Timor-Leste, and will be unable to sustain our economy and state budget. We must reduce our obsession with this fantasy, and develop an economy based on the human and renewable resources we actually have – people, agriculture, processing industries, community tourism, and other potential areas based in Timor-Leste’s own characteristics.
  
  
• Development partners should continue good initiatives to support marginalized people, including women, the rural poor, disabled people, malnourished children, and those who cannot yet access adequate education and health care. People in remote areas are often neglected, or cannot access essential services – we need to improve equity.
  
  
• We ask all donors to align their programs on climate change with their own policies. The most effective path to confront climate change is for industrialized countries to rapidly reduce their emissions. Don’t ask countries like Timor-Leste to keep adapting so that industrialized countries can continue to destroy the global climate.
  
  
• Development partners can help our Government update key information for creating evidence-based policies. For example, the most recent Demographics and Health Survey was in 2016, the Household Income and Expenditure Survey in 2011, the Living Standards Survey in 2014, and a complete Labor Force Survey in 2013.

Conclusion

 

We greatly appreciate development partners' readiness to support our people. Therefore, we ask you to help our decision-makers move toward raising our human capacity to reinforce Timor-Leste’s economy to produce for domestic consumption. Please continue to help our vulnerable country, to reinforce our resilience. Thank you.