17
February 2001
The
first major Conference on Sustainable Development in East Timor, held from
January 25 to 31 was an extremely successful event. More than 700 people
attended the conference. The Conference brought together international experts
and East Timorese specialists to speak on a comprehensive range of topics and
to participate in workshops. The workshops were very well attended, with people
taking advantage of the opportunity to be involved in discussions, and to
prioritise issues and develop strategies for sustainable development in East
Timor.
The
conference accepted for East Timor, the internationally recognised definition
that “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs". Sustainable development addresses the linkages between
environment, economy and social well-being.
The
conference provided an important opportunity for raising awareness and
knowledge about sustainable development and the environment in East Timor. It served to forge strong networks between
East Timorese and international guests.
The
conference identified the need for sustainable development principles and
guidelines to be adopted in future planning and project implementation. To achieve this, the conference recommended
that national development planning includes the drafting of a sustainable
development strategy.
On
the concluding day, the Conference endorsed a key conference outcome - the
establishment of a ‘Task Force on sustainable development’. The National
University of Timor Lorosa'e rose to the occasion and accepted to house the
Task Force at the University. Over the
coming months this Task Force will be established and a plan of action
developed and implemented. The Task Force will include stakeholders from all
sectors including, the university, NGOs, ETTA, church, business, and the
community. The Task Force will carry forward the strategies and recommendations
of the conference, and will be able to contribute to a national sustainable
development strategy.
Workshops
were held in six districts before the conference. More than 25 rural representatives from eight districts attended
the conference. The organisers of the conference deliberately sought out the
involvement of people from the districts to ensure representation from National
to the village level. On the closing
day of the conference a District representative spoke about the issues of
concern for the rural areas. Follow-up workshops in the districts will share
conference results, and will ensure that the Task Force has an initial
relationship to these areas.
There
were six overarching recommendations endorsed by the conference. These included
the key recommendation for sustainable development to be written into East
Timor’s Constitution. The need for a consistent set of sustainable development
principles and guidelines for reviewing policies, programs and projects was
also recommended. The conference recommendations stressed the need to address
some of the acute unsustainable concerns without delay, such as land tenure
rights, deforestation of watersheds and uncontrolled fishing in the southern
waters of East Timor. There was a recommendation for more participation from
civil society in decision making. On a
regional and global level, the conference recommended that East Timor
prioritise participation in existing multilateral and sustainable development
agreements. The importance of negotiations over the Timor Gap, and equitable
and sustainable use of resources was raised as a priority by conference
attendees.
A
three page summary of workshop results was also endorsed by the conference. The
summary document identifies some of the main issues, priorities and strategies
that arose from the workshops. The main
themes identified by the workshops were the need for; sustainable economic
development, education and capacity building at all levels of society,
transparent and integrated planning processes, clear policy development in
consultation with the community, a transparent system of regulations,
enforcement and penalties, and recognition of traditional structures.
Further
Outcomes of the Conference
After
the conference Dr. Arthur Hanson from the Canadian based International
Institute forSustainable Development had a series of meetings with departments
of the East Timor Transitional Authority. He gave a special address to the ETTA
Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Mr Sergio Viera de Mello, that further
discussed the outcomes of the conference. Dr. Hanson also gave a lecture on
sustainable agriculture at the National University of Timor Lorosa'e to an
eager crowd of 300 people.
Many
of the international guests are interested to have ongoing involvement in East
Timor. For example, the Australian
based Ecological Architects Association is seeking funding to set up a
demonstration sustainable design projects in East Timor.
As
a direct result of the conference ETTA Environment Protection Unit, and Water
and Sanitation Unit are establishing an interdepartmental committee on waste
management.
To
comprehensively document and disseminate conference outcomes, a book of
conference proceedings will be produced.
It will include workshop outcomes, recommendations, and a summary of
papers presented. A set of conference materials will be available on the World
Wide Web very soon. Check on www.timoraid.org
Conference
results clearly indicate that sustainable development should be the basis for
planning and implementing development in East Timor.
The
coordinating committee would like to thank everyone who supported and
participated in the conference.