Timor Civil Society asks Hilary Clinton ‘not to abandon the people’s land rights’

Tetun: Sosiedade Sivil husu Hillary Clinton hodi ‘la bele abandona povu nia direitu asesu ba rai’

Rede ba Rai

Civil Society asks Hillary Clinton ‘not to abandon the people’s land rights’

Dili, 4 September 2012

Land is fundamental to the lives of all Timorese people. Land is fundamental as a living space, it is fundamental to our society, our culture, our identity, our ecology, our economy and how we ensure equal distribution of resources and benefits in our communities.

Therefore civil society asks Madam Secretary Hillary Clinton during her visit to Timor-Leste to guarantee that the US Government will not abandon the Timorese people who have already been involved in land registration in Timor-Leste through the SPRTL program (Strengthening Property Rights in Timor-Leste) and the INR (Ita Nia Rai) project.

The reality is that if this program does not continue many Timorese people may not be given the promised land certificates. In this event people, companies and the Government itself will carry out many land injustices against vulnerable groups. If the program finishes now it will contribute to the weakening, rather than strengthening of people’s property rights.

In 2008 the Government of America started the SPRTL program in Timor-Leste to strengthen property rights, reduce conflict and promote economic development.

The INR process is based on some very important and good principles such as, transparency and independence. Crucially the process is free. Throughout the INR program all people had access to the land registration process. A core principle of the process is that it focuses on community participation rather than allowing only the Government to control the land registration system.

Although this program has its weaknesses and there are people who do not agree in principle with land registration in Timor-Leste it must be noted that many Timorese people believe in and have bought into the process and registered their land.

Despite having not yet achieved many of its intended results the SPRTL program was closed last month (August 2012) according to the contract between USAID and the Government of Timor-Leste.

· The land law writing process supported by the INR program was undemocratic. There was little consultation with Timorese people and the laws that were developed represent only the needs and wants of the elite of Timor-Leste. Timor-Leste has no Land Law, Land Commission and there has been little meaningful dialogue between groups about core land policy issues.

· Much of the data which the project handed over to DNTPSC is flawed and incomplete. In January 2011 USAID’s audit report said that 39% of the land claims collected were inaccurate. In December 2011 an internal verification team said that 50% of the Dili claims were incomplete.

· The INR programme failed to resolve disputes that arose as a result of the land registration process. The mediation processes were deeply dysfunctional and under resourced. In 5 years only 4 cases accessed mediation. Less than 4% of disputes have been resolved. In March 2012, 1900 (of a total 2638 claims that were eligible for mediation) had not been contacted by mediation teams and/or offered access to mediation.

· The INR program did not take account of the political economy of Timor-Leste. Ita did not manage to promote meaningful dialogue about land issues. Timor-Leste still has no land policy. Despite the fact that the USAID program is the biggest program in Timor-Leste’s land sector it did nothing to prevent the illegal forced evictions that have been happening since 2008.

During the INR program there has been little integration and co-operation between the INR team and the DNTPSC (Directorate for Land, Property and Cadastral Services) because of this the program is now being closed while DNTPSC are insufficiently prepared to take over the program.

As of yet there has been no commitment made by USAID to complete the work which they have started, they leave this heavy task to the people of Timor. At the same time USAID is also cutting its funding to the legal aid sector meaning that vulnerable people who meet with land injustice will also have no access to the courts.

With these concerns in mind we, civil society, ask Madam Secretary Hillary Clinton to commit to the following recommendations:

1. That in the short term the Government of America will make available funding and technical expertise and collaborate with the Government of Timor-Leste to correct the mistakes and inaccuracies that have occurred in the INR process. And to also quickly carry out a detailed social impact assessment of the land registration process.

2. That the Government of America will give long-term support to the Government of Timor-Leste and the Timorese people in order to guarantee just and sustainable access and rights to land in Timor-Leste.

3. The vision and objectives of USAID land projects must be adapted to the complexities of land issues in Timor-Leste, they should be based not on the narrow vision of economic development but on principles of social justice and the socio-cultural context of Timor-Leste so as to guarantee just and sustainable access and rights to land in Timor-Leste.

4. That future USAID work in the land sector will be more democratic and that USAID will not be involved in legislative drafting which is not based on popular consultation with the Timorese people.

In August 2012 Rede ba Rai began a research project to analyse the impacts of the INR project on vulnerable people in Timor-Leste. The statistics in this press release are based on this findings of this research. The final report will be published in September in both English and Tetun. For more information and/or to receive a copy of the report please contact the Secretariat of Rede ba Rai in Fundasaun Haburas.

Rede ba Rai is a coalition of 20 national and international NGO’s working on promoting access and rights to land that are just and sustainable for all Timorese people. To receive more information about Rede ba Rai and/or this press statement please contact National Co-ordinator Santina A. Fernandes at +67077922648 and/or email us at redebarai@gmail.com.

see also

ETAN to Secretary of State Clinton: Commit the U.S. to work for justice for U.S.-backed crimes in Timor-Leste

Lao Hamutuk writes to Hillary Clinton on justice

WPAT: Letter to Secretary of State Clinton on West Papua Concerns

	ETAN Cause on Facebook --- ETAN Group on Facebook
	Follow @etan009
	ETAN's Blog
	Subscribe to ETAN's e-mail Listservs

Sosiedade Sivil husu Hillary Clinton hodi ‘la bele abandona povu nia direitu asesu ba rai’

Dili, 4 Setembru 2012

Rai mak hanesan baze fundamental ba ema Timoroan hotuhotu sira nia moris, ba hela fatin, moris sosial, kultura, identidade, ekolojia, ekonomia no ita nia sistema fahe benefisiu ne’ebe hanesan.

Ho nune’e Sosiedade Sivil husu Madam Secretary Hillary Clinton hodi promete katak USAID sei la abandona povu Timoroan barak ne’ebe involve tiha ona iha programa rejistru rai iha Timor-Leste liu husi programa SPRTL (Strengthening Property Rights in Timor-Leste) no projetu INR (Ita Nia Rai).

Iha tinan 2008 Governu Amerika hari’i programa SPRTL iha Timor-Leste hodi hametin ema nia direitu ba propriedade, hamenus konflitu no promove dezenvolvimentu ekonomia.

Prosesu INR la’o ho prinsipiu balun ne’ebe diak tebes hanesan transparensia, independente no gratuita. Durante programa INR povu bele asesu duni ba prosesu rejistru rai. Prinsipiu programa ne’e fokus ba komunidade nia partisipasaun duke Governu deit mak kontrola sistema rejistrasaun rai.

Maiske programa ne’e iha nia failansu balun no iha ema balun ne’ebe la konkorda ho prinsipiu rejistrasaun rai maibe resultadu ikus maka povu Timoroan barak fo fiar ona ba prosesu ne’e no rejistru tiha sira nia rai.
Fulan Agostu tinan ne’e programa SPRTL remata tuir akordu ne’ebe hala’o entre USAID ho Governu Timor-Leste maibe resultadu barak mak seidauk atinji.

Prosesu hakerek lei rai husi INR la demokratiku. Laiha konsultasaun ba povu Timoroan no Lei ne’ebe dezenvolve representa deit ema elit sira nia hakarak.
Agora dadus barak ne’ebe programa entrega ona ba DNTPSC sala no la kompletu. Iha fulan Janeiru 2011 USAID nia relatoriu audit nota katak reklamasaun 39% ne’ebe rekoilha durante programa la akurat (iha sala). Iha fulan Dezemru 2011 ekipa verifikasaun internal INR hetan katak reklamasaun liu 50% mak la kompletu.
Programa INR la konsege resolve disputa ne’ebe hamosu husi prosesu sukat rai. Prosesu mediasuan iha problema fundamental barak no laiha rekursus naton hodi hala’o nia servisu. Durante tinan 5 kazu 74 deit mak asesu ba mediasaun. Disputa menus husi 4% mak resolve. To’o Marsu 2012, reklamasaun 1900 (husi total 2638 ne’ebe eligible) la hetan kontaktu husi ekipa resolusaun konflitu hodi offerese supporta ka mediasaun.
Programa INR la tau matan natoon ba situasaun politika ekonomia iha Timor laran. La konsege atu hari’I konsensus no dialogu kona-ba assuntu rai. To’o agira politika rai mos laiha. Maiske programa SPRTL maka programa bo’ot liu iha Seitor Rai nia nunka involve atu prevene eviksaun ilegal no forsadu barak ne’ebe akontse durante tinan 2008 to’o agora.

Durante programa INR la’o laiha integrasaun servisu ne’ebe diak entre programa INR no DNTPSC tamba ne’e to’o agora programa remata seidauk iha preparasaun nato’on ba DNTPSC hodi kontinua programa ne’e.

Realidade agora katak sei programa ne’e laiha kontinuasaun povu Timoroan barak sei la hetan sertifikadu rai. Ho kondisaun ida ne’e ema, kompania ho tan governu sei praktika injustisa ba povu kiik. Sei hakotu agora programa sei kontribui ba halakon ema nia direitu ba propriedade.

To’o agora seidauk iha komitmentu husi USAID atu hala’o servisu ne’e to’o nia rohan no husik todan sira ne’e ba povu. Iha tempu hanesan USAID mos hakotu nia fundus ba seitor legal aid signifika katak povu kiik ne’ebe hasoru injustisa rai laiha dalan hodi lori sira nia kazu ba tribunal.

Ita sosieadade sivil husu ba Madam Secretary Hillary Clinton hodi:

1. Fo komitmentu katak iha kortu prazu USAID sei responsabiliza ba prosesu nebe lao ona tanba tuir sosiedade sivil programa ne’e seidauk atinji nia objetivu no sei kolabora ho V Governu da RDTL hodi hadia failansu hirak ne’e ne’ebe mosu iha prosesu INR no mos katak sira sei hala’o lalais asesmentu ba projetu nia impaktu sosial.

2. Fo komitmentu katak Governu Amerika sei fo supporta longu-prazu ba Governu no povu Timoroan hodi garante direitu no asesu ba rai ba Timoroan hotu ne’ebe justu no sustantavel.

3. USAID tenke halo adaptasaun vizaun ba komplesidade rai iha Timor leste katak la ho vizaun klot hodi promove dezenvolvimentu ekonomia deit maibe tenki bazeia ba justisa sosial no kontekstu sosio-kultural rai Timor-Leste nian hodi garante povu Timor leste nia direitu asesu ba rai ne’ebe justu no sustantevel.

4. Fo komitmentu katak ba oin USAID nia servisu iha sektor rai sei demokratiku liu tan no mos katak USAID sei la involve iha prosesu hakerek lei sem konsultasaun popular ho povu Timoroan.

Fulan Agostu 2012 Rede ba Rai komesa halo peskiza ida hodi analyza impaktu husi projetu Ita Nia Rai ba povu vulnaravel iha Timor-Leste. Statistiku lubuk ida iha press statementu ida ne’e mai husi prosesu peskiza ne’e. Relatoriu final sei fo sai Fulan Setembru nia laran iha lian Ingles no lian Tetun. Bele kontaktu fali ho Sekretariadu Rede ba Rai iha Fundasaun Haburas hodi hetan kopia relatoriu ne’e.

Rede ba Rai nu’udar grupu NGO nasional no internasional 20 ne’ebe servisu hodi promove direitu ba rai ne’ebe justu no sustantavel ba Timoroan hotu hotu. Atu hetan informasuan liu tan kona-ba press statementu ida ne’e ka kona-ba Rede ba Rai nia servisu favor kontaktu Ko-ordenador Nasional Santina A. Fernandes ho numor +67077922648 ka ho email redebarai @ gmail.com.

Read Noam Chomsky on 20 years of ETAN

With your help, we can put ETAN on a firmer footing for the future.

Please give generously in this anniversary year. In doing so, you can help strengthen ETAN to meet the challenges of the coming years.

Donate Today

	ETAN Cause on Facebook --- ETAN Group on Facebook
	Follow @etan009
	ETAN's Blog
	Subscribe to ETAN's e-mail Listservs