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EUROPEAN COMMISSION HUMANITARIAN AID DEPARTMENT (ECHO) COMES TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF DISASTERS

                                          

Eroded embankment; a family carries their groceries home (from the bridge 17km west of Maliana, Bobonaro District, on 8 April 2009). Photo by Sidney Tupper/UNDP

Dili, Timor-Leste 27 April 2009

Timor-Leste will be better equipped to deal with disasters like earthquakes, floods and landslides following the launch of a new project to ensure sustained approach to disaster management in the country outlined in Government policy.  The one-year ‘Disaster Risk Management Institutional and Operational Systems Development in Timor-Leste’ project is facilitated by UNDP and implemented by National Disaster Management Directorate (NDMD) of the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS). The total project budget is US$ 468,000 of which 85% (equivalent to EUR 300,000) is funded by the Disaster Preparedness Programme of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (DIPECHO) and the remaining 15% by UNDP.

 It will address immediate capacity development needs for the establishment and/ or strengthening of necessary institutional systems and Disaster Operations Centres (DOCs) in Dili, Bobonaro and Lautem. In addition, the project aims at establishing effective ways of familiarizing the public with the National Policy for Disaster Risk Management which calls for decentralization of services, mainstreaming of Disaster Risk Management in sectoral planning and decision making as well as strengthening the link between the districts and the country’s capital, Dili.

 “This project continues UNDP’s strategic support for Disaster Risk Management in Timor-Leste and will build on progress made since 2002 when UNDP provided support to the fledgling nation for establishing a government body to coordinate disaster related information, awareness raising, risk reduction and response, as well as the work of a very recent UNDP capacity assessment of the NDMD” said Mr Akbar Usmani, UNDP Country Director. “We would like to thank the donor, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), for their support in funding this important initiative” he added.

“Since 2004 Directorate General for ECHO has been implementing its disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO) in Timor-Leste for a total amount of EUR 1.2 million. Under the 6th DIPECHO Action Plan for South East Asia (2008-2009), a EUR 600,000 support is allocated to two programs with UNDP and Concern Worldwide to strengthen disaster risk reduction and management systems with a stronger focus on capacity-building of local/national structures and advocacy/public awareness. This intervention will not only contribute to the disaster risk reduction efforts at various levels, but also perfectly complement on-going programmes from both the Government and other NGOs to be better prepared for natural disasters" said Ms Laurence Bardon, ECHO Technical assistant for Timor Leste .

Based at the National Disaster Operations Centre housed within the MSS, the project will work with the district administrations in Bobonaro and Lautem to establish two new District Disaster Operation Centres. It will also support the development of standard operating procedures for the conduct of disaster related work by the NDMD, district administrations and other ministries. In addition, the project will facilitate mechanisms for exchange of information among different stakeholders, and mainstreaming of DRM in government agencies through more active engagement, better information and targeted capacity building of relevant personnel.

Raising awareness about how to prevent or reduce the impact of disasters is vital for keeping households and communities safe and so the project will also focus on this important area. Suco heads, district officials, civil society, the media, as well as national level decision makers, will benefit from greater knowledge and understanding of how disasters can be planned for, information disseminated and preventative action taken where possible.

 “In Timor-Leste we all know that disasters happen regularly”, said the Director of the NDMD, Mr Francisco do Rosario, “however, we are yet to be truly prepared to act together as one to plan for the consequences of disasters, as well as to develop strategies for reducing the risks faced by our brothers and sisters who live in vulnerable locations, as well as reducing the risks to our limited infrastructure. We hope that this project will give us some tools to work together better”.

Meanwhile, at the onset of the project, a capacity assessment was conducted as a baseline for identifying needs and relevant support as well as a benchmark for evaluating future progress. It is also expected to guide future government DRM planning and corresponding needs for international support. This consultative process involved meetings with NDMD, ministerial focal points, NGOs and UN agencies, as well as field visits to the districts of Baucau, Bobonaro and Lautem. The capacity assessment report will be available for wider dissemination in May 2009.

 For more information please contact:

James Hardman, Project Manager, Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit, UNDP Timor-Leste: james.hardman@undp.org