DILI, 12 october 2023 (TATOLI) – The Government of Timor-Leste, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officially signed the Project Document for Community Infrastructure for Resilience Project (CIReP) at the Ministry of State Administration (MoSA) office, in Dili today.
The signing ceremony was attended by Tomás do Rosario Cabral, Minister of State Administration, Tetsuya Kimura, Ambassador of Japan to Timor-Leste, Rogério Araújo Mendonça, Secretary of State for Professional Training and Employment (SEFOPE), and Katyna Argueta, Resident Representative of UNDP Timor-Leste.
The project, co-implemented by the Ministry of State Administration and UNDP, aims to support communities across three municipalities (Ermera, Bobonaro, Liquica) and the Special Autonomous Zone of Oecuse-Ambeno by building and rehabilitating 40 units of community infrastructures that will enable them to have better access to health, education, markets, irrigations, water and sanitation.
Moreover, the project will create short-term employment for the communities by engaging skilled and unskilled laborers in the construction process.
With a total budget of US$5.1 million, the project is co-funded by the government of Japan (US$4.8 million) and UNDP (US$300,000). The project will be implemented over the course of years from 2023-2027.
“This project is in line with the concept of “human security,” to which Japan attaches much importance. The concept focuses on the protection and empowerment of individual persons, in particular the most vulnerable segment of the communities. We wish that the resilience of the communities will be enhanced through the implementation of the project that covers every segment of the society including health, education, water and sanitation, market, and irrigation.” Said Japan Ambassador to Timor-Leste, KIMURA Tetsuya.
At the signing ceremony, Argueta highlighted the importance of building rural community infrastructure and improving access to water sanitation and health facilities for rural communities to enhance the economic and social development of Timor-Leste. She also expressed her hope that these interventions would result in uplifting the quality of life of the people of the project areas. “The infrastructures are critical in the rural areas as it help provide market access for the communities for their agricultural produce, maternity health centers for young mothers, community centers for youths’ programs, and much more.”
The projects are very much aligned with the 9th constitutional government program where; access to basic infrastructure, water and sanitation infrastructure, Health, economic growth, and job creation have been emphasized in government programs.
“We believe that Community infrastructure project is crucial for ensuring the resilience and sustainability of our communities. We are grateful for the support of UNDP and the government of Japan to continue to support rural-based infrastructure, I hope the community will be directly involved in the project,” said Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosario Cabral.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
