音声ブラウザご使用の方向け： SKIP NAVI ／ GOTO NAVI

TWGDC - Task Force Reports - Draft Plans of Action

Minutes of the second meeting of the Task Force on East Timor
Thematic Working Group on disability-related Concerns (TWGDC)

Date:     Sunday 9 December 2001, 18:00 - 21:00 hrs

Place:    Horizon Hotel, Hanoi

The meeting was attended by thirty participants, three from governmental agencies, nineteen from non-governmental agencies (NGOs) and seven from United Nations agencies and one from an inter-governmental agency. The meeting was chaired by Mr Yutaka Takamine, (ESCAP).

The meeting was opened with greetings and introduction of the two participants from East Timor, Ms Ciara Knudsen and Mr Joaquim Da Costa Sarmento. The provisional Agenda for the meeting was accepted.

A report was presented of the activities of the Task Force on East Timor since the first meeting was held in May 2001. (See Attachment). The task force on East Timor had explored possible strategies to ensure the inclusion of disability concerns in the national development plan that might be prepared by a newly established Government of East Timor, with a view to avoiding a piece-meal approach and promoting a comprehensive and coordinated approach to disability development issues in East Timor. A project proposal, currently under consideration, had been developed, with the objectives of developing a national Coordinating Committee on Disability (NCCD) for East Timor, an East Timor Technical Support Group (ETTSG), a National Plan of Action (NPA) and a funding and technical support framework for the NCCD and the development of disability related services in East Timor. A budget of USD $20.000 would be made available with fifty per cent from the 16th Rehabilitation International (RI) World Congress Fund, via the RI Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific, and the other fifty per cent from the Asia Trust through Mr M. B Lee, SBS, MBE, JP.

ESCAP had invited, with financial support, Mr Joaquim Da Costa Sarmento, Social Worker for the Disabled and Elderly, Department of Labour and Solidarity and Ms Ciara Knudsen, Adviser to the Division of Social Services, Department of Labour and Solidarity, both of East Timor, to attend the third session of the TWGDC in Hanoi, Viet Nam, and to participate in the task force meeting on East Timor.

Matters raised for discussion:

Report on situation in East Timor and identification of needs.

The delegates from East Timor reported that the mandate for disability had been placed in the Department of Social Services. There was no disability policy and no budget for service provision. Disability had not been allocated a budget under the UNTAET administration and was included only nominally in the Constitution, with no responsibility determined by the state for programme development. Elections are currently scheduled for April 2002, and Independence will be declared on 20 May 2002.

The immediate goals concerning strengthening the situation of persons with disabilities in East Timor included:

  • Further development and strengthening of the Disability Working Group, currently consisting of service providers working to increase participation of persons with disabilities, Ministries of Health and Education, NGOs, INGOs and UN agencies.

  • Focus on education, health and the development of disabled persons' groups and organizations.

  • Building local NGO capacity in advocacy, networking, community organization, programme development and monitoring.

Specific areas of need identified included:

  • Training and experience in advocacy to raise government and community awareness;

  • Capacity building at local and district level, including training in networking and establishment of CBR services and activities; and forming groups of disabled persons;

  • Education - development of policy, training of sign language interpreters and teachers, and teachers of Braille; (This issue is complicated by the issues of language)

  • Vocational training and rehabilitation , and the development of a social security system;

  • Training in repair of assistive devices.

Response to Project Proposal

  • Need assistance to develop a national plan - important to guide policy and programming.

  • It may be too early for the development of a NCCD - it is necessary to strengthen the Disability Support Group first.

Specific requests from East Timor representatives to TWGDC Task Force on East Timor

  • Urgent need for social policy advisers to help with transition from UNTAET to East Timor administration, to ensure overlap of advisers when UNTAET leaves east Timor in May 2002.

  • Urgent need for consultants (3 month minimum time-frame) to assist in preparation of draft policy and legislation, to be completed by May 2002, before independence.

  • Urgent need for assistance in developing a national disability plan.

  • Immediate need for training of disability stakeholders before INGOs leave East Timor.

  • Funding and technical assistance needed to establish vocational rehabilitation and social security system.

  • Information and links to technical and funding resources outside East Timor.

  • Assistance in provision of disability learning materials, in language friendly format.

  • Direct assistance with programme development.

  • Need for long-term consultants.

Tentative offers of assistance to East Timor from TWGDC agencies:

Rehabilitation International/ Asian and Pacific Region

  • An offer of funds had been made to cover fifty per cent of the cost of the proposed national seminar in East Timor. The remaining fifty per cent would be covered by the Asia Trust through Mr M. B. Lee, SBS, MBE, JP.

Disabled Peoples International/Asia Pacific Region (DPI/AP)

  • Funding available for consultant to collect data in 2002.

  • Capacity building of persons with disabilities.

World Blind Union (WBU) in coordination with the Royal Society for the Blind

  • Support will be provided in 2002 - (decision will be made in March 2002).

International Labour Organization (ILO).

  • Capacity building

  • Consultancy support to develop draft policy and legislation.

  • Technical assistance to establish vocational rehabilitation and social security system.

CBM International SEAPRO

  • Supports the current project proposal and sees urgent need for a NCCD, to impact on government and provide a vehicle for representation of persons with disabilities to government.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

  • Disability was not raised by the administration in relation to discussions on a poverty reduction strategy - recommendation that advocacy be made to the Ministry of Finance to raise the disability issue.

  • No mechanism currently available for disability to be included in any social protection initiative.

ESCAP

  • Could send advisers to strengthen policy development on request.

Cambodia Trust

  • A project proposal for an Orthotics and Prosthetics initiative has been unsuccessful in obtaining funding.

Decisions:
ESCAP will request UNDP to ensure that disability issues are included in all development planning in East Timor.

The members of the East Timor Task Force approved in principle the Project Proposal submitted (subject to feed-back from East Timor), and will take action to support initiatives to facilitate the development of a national action plan on disability in East Timor. The Task Force on East Timor will recommend to the TWGDC that assistance be provided to East Timor in any way possible, including assistance with developing policy as well as small-scale initiation and support for programme initiatives.
East Timor delegates will develop and disseminate a "wish-list" and approach any TWGDC agency for support and assistance in any area.
(TWGDC membership list to be provided to East Timor delegates).


Thematic Working Group on disability-related Concerns
Task Force on East Timor
Report to Meeting of Task Force on East Timor,
Horison Hotel, Hanoi, 9 December 2001.

1. The Task Force on East Timor has explored possible strategies to ensure the inclusion of disability concerns in the national development plan that might be prepared by a newly established Government of East Timor, with a view to avoiding a piece-meal approach and promoting a comprehensive and coordinated approach to disability development issues in East Timor.

2. A project proposal, currently under consideration, has been developed, with the objectives of developing a national Coordinating Committee on Disability (NCCD) for East Timor, an East Timor Technical Support Group (ETTSG), a National Plan of Action (NPA) and a funding and technical support framework for the NCCD and the development of disability related services in East Timor. A budget of USD $20.000 would be made available with fifty per cent from the 16th Rehabilitation International (RI) World Congress Fund, via the RI Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific, and the other fifty per cent from the Asia Trust through Mr M. B Lee, SBS, MBE, JP.

3. The task force on East Timor will meet in Hanoi, Viet Nam, 9 December 2001, to discuss these and other related issues. ESCAP has invited Mr Joaquim Da Costa Sarmento, Social Worker for the Disabled and Elderly, Department of Labour and Solidarity and Ms Ciara Knudsen, Adviser to the Division of Social Services, Department of Labour and Solidarity, both of East Timor, to attend the third session of the TWGDC in Hanoi, Viet Nam, and to participate in the task force meeting on East Timor.

4. The task force on east Timor received a detailed briefing on the current situation concerning people with disabilities in East Timor. Further discussion identified areas where assistance could be provided by members of the task force.

5. It was agreed that the task force network could act as a clearing-house for information concerning disability in East Timor.

6. The task force approved in principle the project proposal submitted, and supported initiatives to facilitate the development of a national action plan on disability in East Timor.

Go to the top of this page. | Go to the upper category.