The Asia Foundation

Occasional Paper No. 9, December 2011

A brief paper that examines the development of the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) over the last decade, which has been a core focus of the international community as well as...

Occasional Paper No. 9, December 2011

A brief paper that examines the development of the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) over the last decade, which has been a core focus of the international community as well as successive national governments. As capacity has been developed at both the individual and organizational levels, the need for the PNTL to develop into a community oriented police service has been stated regularly. Despite this prominence in international and national rhetoric on police development, demonstrable progress toward making community policing a cornerstone of policing in Timor-Leste has been very limited. The political leadership of Timor-Leste is very focused on the issues around the police and the need for police reform. As a vague ambition rather than an immediate priority, community policing is chronically under-resourced, with the most recent FY12 budget leaving out its funds for training completely.

A report on findings from the implementation of the Support for Local Governance, Elections, and Civil Society in Timor Leste (GEC) project funded by USAID. The GEC project addressed capacity building efforts of 148 suco councils, or...

A report on findings from the implementation of the Support for Local Governance, Elections, and Civil Society in Timor Leste (GEC) project funded by USAID. The GEC project addressed capacity building efforts of 148 suco councils, or village-level government units of Timor-Leste, in the four districts of Oecusse, Bobonaro, Ainaro, and Baucau over a period of three years.

This research examines communitiesʼ experiences of two different decentralized development programs in Timor-Leste: the Programa Dezenvolvimentu Lokal (PDL), and the Pakote Dezenvolvimentu Desentrilizadu (PDD). Using...

This research examines communitiesʼ experiences of two different decentralized development programs in Timor-Leste: the Programa Dezenvolvimentu Lokal (PDL), and the Pakote Dezenvolvimentu Desentrilizadu (PDD). Using these two programs as a lens for comparative analysis, the overall aim of this research is to identify and examine broader issues surrounding the implementation of decentralised development in Timorese communities, and to draw lessons for sustainable, community-level development in the future. This research also aims to make a substantive contribution to planning for the Planu Nasional Dezenvolvimentu Suku (PNDS), which will be introduced throughout Timorese communities from 2013.

The Asia Foundation established the Books for Asia program in East Timor in 2003 to increase local institutions’ access to information in a broad variety of fields. Since then, The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program has...

The Asia Foundation established the Books for Asia program in East Timor in 2003 to increase local institutions’ access to information in a broad variety of fields. Since then, The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program has distributed more than 18,000 books in East Timor.

Tetum version

The Asia Foundation established the Books for Asia program in East Timor in 2003 to increase local institutions’ access to information in a broad variety of fields. Since then, The Asia Foundation’s Books for...

Tetum version

The Asia Foundation established the Books for Asia program in East Timor in 2003 to increase local institutions’ access to information in a broad variety of fields. Since then, The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program has distributed more than 18,000 books in East Timor.

Overview of The Asia Foundatino's Timor-Leste program - in Tetum.

Husi kedas tinan 1992 mai, The Asia Foundation hala’o ona kooperasaun ho instituisaun lokál sira iha Timor-Leste kona-ba dezenvolvimentu...

Overview of The Asia Foundatino's Timor-Leste program - in Tetum.

Husi kedas tinan 1992 mai, The Asia Foundation hala’o ona kooperasaun ho instituisaun lokál sira iha Timor-Leste kona-ba dezenvolvimentu konstitusionál no reforma legál, edukasaun, negósius estranjeirus, direitus umanus, no dezenvolvimentu ba lideransa. Hafoin referendu 1999 ne’ebé lori Timor-Leste ba independénsia, The Asia Foundation hala’o edukasaun kompreensivu ba votante sira barbarak molok halao programa konaba eleisaun ba asembleia konstituinte no eleisaun presidensiál iha tinan 2001 no 2002.

East Timor’s achievement of full statehood in May 2002 has placed the responsibilities of government completely in the hands of the East Timorese for the first time in many generations. The violent disruptions following the 1999...

East Timor’s achievement of full statehood in May 2002 has placed the responsibilities of government completely in the hands of the East Timorese for the first time in many generations. The violent disruptions following the 1999 referendum on independence triggered an exodus of capital and business acumen, both indigenous and foreign, and left behind a fractured economy with destroyed infrastructure, poorly functioning markets, and a collapsed financial sector. The new government faces daunting challenges in improving the living conditions of its population and charting a new path for economic growth. The Asia Foundation is working with the private sector of East Timor to identify the determinants of and impediments to economic growth, and is providing technical assistance to the government as it formulates a new legislative framework for investment activities.

The Asia Foundation maintains elections programs, including monitor and voter education, in nine countries in Asia. In recent years, the Foundation has implemented significant elections programs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia,...

The Asia Foundation maintains elections programs, including monitor and voter education, in nine countries in Asia. In recent years, the Foundation has implemented significant elections programs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Timor-Leste.

The Government of Timor-Leste faces many challenges in providing access to justice for its citizens. Individuals’ attempts to exercise fundamental rights through traditional dispute resolution mechanisms or through the nascent formal...

The Government of Timor-Leste faces many challenges in providing access to justice for its citizens. Individuals’ attempts to exercise fundamental rights through traditional dispute resolution mechanisms or through the nascent formal justice sector often fail due to limited financial resources, low awareness of options, and geographic isolation. Through the USAID funded Access to Justice Program, The Asia Foundation aims to bridge those gaps for vulnerable groups by funding pro bono legal aid services; supporting enhanced mediation services; increasing expertise to meet the particular justice needs of women; and increasing awareness of laws and legal procedures vital to securing livelihoods for vulnerable groups.

The Timor-Leste Legal Education Project is a broad-based partnership between The Asia Foundation and Stanford Law School that works closely with local institutions to strenthen legal education in Timor-Leste. The project's goal is to...

The Timor-Leste Legal Education Project is a broad-based partnership between The Asia Foundation and Stanford Law School that works closely with local institutions to strenthen legal education in Timor-Leste. The project's goal is to institutionalize ways for local actors to positively influence the development of domestic legal education in Timor-Leste.

The Timor-Leste Legal Education Project is a broad-based partnership between The Asia Foundation and Stanford Law School that works closely with local institutions to strenthen legal education in Timor-Leste. The project's goal is to...

The Timor-Leste Legal Education Project is a broad-based partnership between The Asia Foundation and Stanford Law School that works closely with local institutions to strenthen legal education in Timor-Leste. The project's goal is to institutionalize ways for local actors to positively influence the development of domestic legal education in Timor-Leste.

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, several countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these...

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, several countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these environments are often troubled, and have frequently become the primary cause of prolonged conflict and fragility. Many citizens in conflict-affected and fragile regions have come to see their government as distant, unresponsive, inaccessible, or absent altogether. When citizens perceive states as illegitimate, many will simply avoid contact with their governments, and in some cases support violent challenges to state authority.

Since the 1990s, The Asia Foundation has supported programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by civil society, government, and the private sector. Certain advances in ICT – such as the...

Since the 1990s, The Asia Foundation has supported programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by civil society, government, and the private sector. Certain advances in ICT – such as the pervasive adoption of mobile telephones and the rapid spread of internet connectivity – have dramatically increased the speed of information processing, as well as the ease, frequency, and quality of communications in the developing world.

The Asia Foundation’s conflict management and prevention program aims to reduce the effects of violence on development and to help prevent future violent conflict. Events of 2006 show that outbreaks of violence can destabilize economic...

The Asia Foundation’s conflict management and prevention program aims to reduce the effects of violence on development and to help prevent future violent conflict. Events of 2006 show that outbreaks of violence can destabilize economic and democratic development and slow progress. In response to these events, The Asia Foundation is addressing the crisis by linking critical governance vulnerabilities directly to the underlying causes and enabling factors of the violence. The Foundation is facilitating consultations with Timorese leaders to formulate practical recommendations for governance reform for policymakers that will help reduce the potential for violent conflict in the near- to mid-term.

Tetum version

Fundasaun Ázia nia programa jestaun no prevensaun ba konflitu buka atu hamenus efeitu violénsia nian ba dezenvolvimentu no ajuda prevene konflitu violentu iha futuru. Eventu sira iha tinan 2006 hatudu katak...

Tetum version

Fundasaun Ázia nia programa jestaun no prevensaun ba konflitu buka atu hamenus efeitu violénsia nian ba dezenvolvimentu no ajuda prevene konflitu violentu iha futuru. Eventu sira iha tinan 2006 hatudu katak akontesimentu violénsia nian bele dezestabiliza dezenvolvimentu ekonómiku no demokrátiku no atraza progresu. Hodi hatan ba eventu sira ne’e, Fundasaun Ázia lida ho krize ne’e liuhosi identifika ligasaun entre vulnerabilidade krítika governasaun nian sira diretamente ho kauza fundamentál no faktór sira ne’ebé mak hamosu violénsia. Fundasaun fasilita daudaun konsulta ho líder Timór nian sira hodi formula rekomendasaun prátika kona-ba reforma governasaun nian ba polítika-nain sira ne’ebé sei ajuda hamenus potensiál ba konflitu violentu iha kurtu no médiu-prazu.

Building on a decade of support for development in East Timor, The Asia Foundation launched a major law reform program in 2002 to respond to the needs of the newly independent nation. The Asia Foundation supports the legal development efforts...

Building on a decade of support for development in East Timor, The Asia Foundation launched a major law reform program in 2002 to respond to the needs of the newly independent nation. The Asia Foundation supports the legal development efforts of government and civil society to strengthen the justice system at the national and local levels. The East Timor program strengthens the accountability and transparency of the judicial system, assists in the development of effective and accessible legal aid services and alternative dispute resolution, and strengthens women’s access to justice.

Haré husi tulun ba Timor-Leste iha dékade ida nia laran, The Asia Foundation halo lansamentu ba programa boot reforma lei nian iha tinan 2002 hodi hatan ba nesesidade nasaun independente foun ida ne’e nian. The Asia...

Haré husi tulun ba Timor-Leste iha dékade ida nia laran, The Asia Foundation halo lansamentu ba programa boot reforma lei nian iha tinan 2002 hodi hatan ba nesesidade nasaun independente foun ida ne’e nian. The Asia Foundation fó apoiu ba inisiativa dezenvolvimentu legál husi governu no sosiedade sivil hodi hametin sistema justisa iha nivel nasionál no lokál. Programa ba Timor-Leste hametin transparénsia no responsabilidade sistema judisiál nian, tulun dezenvolvimentu asistensia legal no rezolusaun alternativa ba disputa atu bele sai efetivu no asesivel, nune’e mos hametin feto sira nia asesu ba justisa.

The Asia Foundation’s East Timor programs support the development of democratic institutions and processes and the active participation of women at the national and local levels in all aspects of nation-building. The Foundation...

The Asia Foundation’s East Timor programs support the development of democratic institutions and processes and the active participation of women at the national and local levels in all aspects of nation-building. The Foundation cooperates with Timorese organizations to increase opportunities for women in this new democracy.