Timor-Leste: Humanitarian update 16 - 29 Aug 2008

The Humanitarian Update (HU) aims at providing a periodic analysis of current humanitarian issues, facts and policy developments in Timor-Leste with primary attention given to internally displaced people (IDPs). The HU is based on voluntary information inputs from UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, NGO members of the Humanitarian Coordination Committee and other partners. It analyses information from a variety of sector coordination meetings involving Timorese authorities. The HU is coordinated and issued by the OCHA/UNMIT Integrated Humanitarian Coordination Team (IHCT), on a fortnightly basis. Contributions and comments can be sent to the OCHA/UMMIT IHCT in Dili, Focal Points: medhurst@un.org (mobile: +670 736 55 78) and hadin@un.org, (mobile +670 731 16 43).

OF NOTE

- On 19 August, UN staff remembered their colleagues who fell for peace five years ago in the attack against the UN Headquarters in Baghdad, Irak. The President of Timor-Leste, the President of Parliament, the Prime Minister and most of the Cabinet members attended a memorial service at UNMIT compound. The 22 names of those killed in the bombing, including former SRSG for Timor-Leste, Sergio Vieira de Mello, were read out followed by a minute of silence.

- On 19 August, the UN Security Council discussed the UN Secretary-General Report on the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste, as well as the general situation in the country. The SRSG for Timor-Leste addressed the Security Council, which praised the effective and rapid response of the country to the attacks against President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Gusm=E3o last February. The Council also warned that the political, security, social and humanitarian situation in the country remain fragile.

- On 21 August, UNMIT's second human rights report on Timor-Leste was launched, covering the period from September 2007 to June 2008. The report, which focuses on key human rights developments in relation to the security sector and access to justice, provides a list of recommendations and states that while the country has continued to consolidate progress in key human rights areas, further progress is still needed. The Deputy Provedor for Human Rights and Justice, Silverio Pinto Baptista, who participated in the launch of the report, informed that his office had investigated 44 of the 54 alleged violations by the Joint Command. The Provedor's Office expects to submit recommendations on the cases in October and continues to monitor the situation.

- Camp Movements: Movements out of Airport IDP Camp and Seminario Minor Balide camp took place during the reporting period, and almost all IDPs were relocated to their area of origin. The next movement will take place out of Dom Bosco camp and is scheduled for the first week of September. To date, 5,116 families (out of a total of approximately 15,500 families registered by MSS nation wide) have received the reintegration and recovery packages, which amounts to a disbursement by the Government of Timor-Leste of approximately US$ 10 million so far (out of a total envelope of 35 million USD budgeted for 2008).