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Timor-Leste

WFP Timor-Leste Country Brief, July 2019

Attachments

In Numbers

15 nutrition education sessions and cooking demonstrations were organized in 5 municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera and Oecusse), reaching 708 community members.

US$ 2.0m six months (August 2019 – January 2020) net funding requirements

Operational Updates

• WFP met with both the Vice Minister and the Interim Minister of Health to discuss pipeline breaks of specialised nutritious foods, the reinstatement of the ‘mSupply’ commodity tracking system and the handover of equipment from Timor Global, a facility that produces nutritious foods for Timor-Leste, to the Ministry of Health.

• WFP signed a cooperation agreement with Catalpa International to support programming related to SBCC in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. Ongoing projects include consolidating the results of an SBCC Partnership Mapping Survey and developing an integrated SBCC Knowledge Management System that will be accessible to the general public.

• To understand how to adapt its strategy to ensure that every person in Timor-Leste has access to nutritious foods, WFP is running the Fill the Nutrient Gap programme. So far, WFP has collected data in five municipalities (Baucau, Dili, Ermera, Manufahi and RAEOA) which is being analysed to determine the ‘Cost of the Diet’ and identify the barriers preventing some Timorese from enjoying a healthy nutritious diet. The information will be presented next month in a workshop that will come up with an action plan to overcome these challenges.

• WFP met with the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport and the Vice Minister and Acting Minister of State Administration to discuss the possibility of a tripartite agreement to strengthen the National School Feeding Programme (SFP). Ministry Officials and WFP identified areas for future cooperation, restated the benefits of introducing fortified rice in Timor-Leste and discussed the need to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to better manage the SFP.

• WFP conducted a two-day training on warehouse management in collaboration with Timor-Leste’s Medical and Pharmaceutical Supply Agency (SAMES). 35 participants attended the training from different line ministries and government institutions. WFP and SAMES signed a Letter of Understanding outlining their future partnership during a ceremony at the end of the training.

• WFP and the National Logistic Centre (NLC) are in the process of formalising a technical agreement that outlines WFPs commitment to provide technical assistance and capacity strengthening on warehouse management, supply-chain management of the SFP and to support the NLC’s effort to introduce rice fortification.