DILI, 19 september 2023 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste and International Development Partners in Timor-Leste, on Monday, held a meeting to set up a multi-sectoral National Steering Committee for Early Childhood Development (ECD).
The Steering Committee will be chaired by the Office of the Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Social Affairs, and Minister of Rural Development and Housing.
In order to provide technical support to the Steering Committee, a National Early Child Development Technical Working Group will be set up.
Mariano Assanami Sabino Lopes, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Rural Development Affairs said that the Technical Working Group will provide technical inputs into the draft multi-sectoral Early Child Development ECD Policy and support the Steering committee in providing coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the ECD Policy.
He said establishing a well-defined organizational setup and creating accountability mechanisms will be crucial for the success of our initiatives.
“Collaboration with our partners is essential in achieving our shared goals and driving positive change in our society. One of the key aspects we need to address is the frequency and composition of meetings between Development Partners and ministers,” Assanami said. “As we navigate through several core inter-ministerial engagements, as well as those hosted by single line Ministries and Development Partners, a seamless flow of information will allow us to identify bottlenecks and work collaboratively toward finding effective solutions.”
Assanami said that the initiative to create the Human Capital Task Force came after an inter-ministerial meeting with all the line ministries under his coordination.
“This task force can consist of sub-action groups that focus on key areas such as Rural Development Human Capital, Early Childhood Development ( Nutrition and Stunting, Youth empowerment and Martial arts groups, Digitalization, Employment and Training, Health systems strengthening, HIV/AIDS, Zero hunger, Social security, Food security and more,” Assanami explained. “By forming these sub-action groups, we can concentrate our efforts and expertise on specific areas that require immediate attention and intervention.”
Assanami extends his gratitude to each of the development partners: “I am confident that through our collaborative efforts, we will pave the way for a brighter future for the people of Timor-Leste.”
Timor-Leste has committed to supporting the work of the National Early Childhood Development Steering Committee and the ECD Technical Working Group and is seeking the services of a national consultant to support this process.
The World Bank and the World Food Program have also committed to supporting human capital and on social security.
UNICEF Timor-Leste has committed to supporting the work of the National Early Childhood Development Steering Committee and the ECD Technical Working Group and is seeking the services of a national consultant to support this process.
“Let us not leave here today without the establishment of a Steering Committee or establishing a Human Capital Task Force and or establishment of a multi-donor fund that can support monitoring and evaluation, coordination efforts, and specific activity efforts under my coordination in the next five years,” Assanami concluded.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
