Attachments
Overview
Timor-Leste, categorized as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) and a least developed country, faces multidimensional fragility due to extreme weather events, worsening food insecurity, and some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and stunting in Asia. Throughout 2023, the country continued to battle food insecurity and malnutrition as a result of intensifying climate shocks, compounded by high rates of poverty, food price inflation, and the ongoing recovery from 2021 flash floods which substantially damaged critical infrastructure and productive assets.
The country's high vulnerability, particularly to climate change, has been evident in a series of successive climate shocks in recent years. On top of the preexisting impacts of the 2021 flash floods, all 14 municipalities exhibited drought-like conditions in November 2023 according to the Combined Drought Index (CDI).[1] Recent literature suggests tangible improvements in Timor-Leste’s development trajectory, such as achieving Millennium Development Goal 3 by reducing mortality for children under five by 71 percent from 175.5 in 1990 to 50.5 in 2021.[3] However, significant challenges remain in equipping all people in Timor-Leste with the right education, skills, and health opportunities needed to succeed.
According to the latest Acute Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) of Food Insecurity, 27 percent of the total population is currently food insecure at Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels.[4] Forty-seven percent of children under five are stunted, with 23 percent of women of reproductive age anaemic[5] - some of the highest malnutrition rates in Asia. Limited infrastructure, poor access to education and healthcare are only a fraction of the factors that contribute to a multidimensionally fragile environment, where most of the population lacks adaptive capacities for climate-related disasters and unexpected food shortages.[6] Food security is therefore a critical priority, amid intensifying climate concerns such as floods, drought-like conditions, and landslides.
During the first year of its new Country Strategic Plan (CSP 2023-2025) in Timor-Leste, WFP focused on laying the groundwork for success in improving food security and nutrition. This involved advancing strategic engagements with the newly established IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste, and shifting to a more enabling role aimed at reducing hunger with nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart programmatic approaches.
WFP made notable progress in advancing school feeding, with the overarching goal of strengthening the Government’s capacity. This included modernizing school kitchens, handing over kitchen equipment to the Government, training hundreds of stakeholders on school feeding, and crafting school lunch menus which use local ingredients unique to each municipality. In particular, WFP's collaboration with the Government on the school feeding manual has benefited hundreds of thousands of school-aged children, marking a significant milestone towards better health and educational outcomes. WFP also amplified Timor-Leste’s voice in the global arena by facilitating the Minister of Education’s participation as a panel discussant at the Global School Meals Coalition in Paris, and supporting the Ministry of Social Solidary and Inclusion in participating in two high-level panel discussions at the World Committee on Food Security in Rome.
WFP continued addressing the persistent nutrition challenges in Timor-Leste by expanding rice fortification and rolling out social and behavior change communication initiatives. Notably, WFP provided training on fortified rice to hundreds of government staff, supported the inauguration of two blending machines in private sector warehouses to produce fortified rice, and reached tens of thousands of people with nutrition messaging. These initiatives will continue to be crucial for long-term, sustainable progress to improving nutrition.
As the country continues to grapple with the threats of climate change, WFP worked to strengthen the Government’s emergency preparedness and response capacity. A critical milestone was WFP’s support to the Government in designing a roadmap for anticipatory action - this aims to ensure that assistance can be delivered to affected people in emergencies as fast and effectively as possible. In addition, WFP worked to strengthen the capacity of national stakeholders to better prepare for and respond to emergencies, by conducting warehouse assessments, bolstering warehouses with storage resources, and assessing retailers for standby contracts. This preparedness was further enhanced through training hundreds of government staff in supply chain and disaster risk management. These efforts underscore WFP's commitment to supporting sustainable systems in emergencies, ensuring that the groundwork is laid for continued progress in the years to come.
WFP has further strengthened the Government’s capacity by investing in evidence-generation on priority areas to inform decision making. WFP not only produced standard products such as market price monitoring reports, but also collaborated with the Government and FAO to publish the first-ever Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
Acute Food Insecurity analysis in the country. WFP also produced an update to the 2019 Cost of the Diet analysis including market availability of 65 high-nutrient food items, and conducted the largest Food Security Assessment in Timor-Leste to date, covering 9,488 households across all municipalities. WFP also took strong leadership by chairing the national cash working group and leading the task force on the minimum expenditure basket. These initiatives greatly contributed to strengthening the country's capacity, as they were produced in collaboration with key government agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries, and National Institute of Statistics Timor-Leste; shedding light on where the Government requires support, while bringing strong programmatic support and operational thinking to the fore.
WFP remains committed to Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 17 (Partnerships), and motivated to support the country’s capacity to implement nutrition-sensitive, climate-smart interventions through augmentation and thought leadership, in order to most efficiently serve the most vulnerable populations in the country. These core values are in alignment with the Government’s 2030 Agenda, as well as the Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan (2011-2030).