Understanding and Strengthening Resilience for Peace in Timor-Leste

Understanding the resilient capacities of local actors during and after violent conflicts, has been one of Interpeace’s main objectives in the past two years. Determining how these existing capacities for resilience can be strengthened to contribute to sustainable peace, has been at the heart of  our programme Frameworks for Assessing Resilience (FAR), implemented in three contexts: Guatemala, Liberiaet Timor-Leste.

During two years, Interpeace and the Centre d'études pour la paix et le développement (CEPAD) led a multi-stakeholder process that sought to identify and promote resilient capacities of the people in Timor-Leste. The research encompassed an inclusive and participatory process that engaged communities at the grassroots, as well as representatives of civil society organizations and government institutions. The project generated rich qualitative and quantitative data and analysis, through in-depth interviews and focus groups, forums, dialogue processes, and a nationwide survey polling close to 3,000 respondents.

On June 15 2016, CEPAD organized the launch of the Frameworks for Assessing Resilience final reports and the Deputy Director General of Interpeace, Renée Larivière, participated in the event by discussing the work of Interpeace and CEPAD, and the importance of a resilience lens in peacebuilding contexts.

Timor-Leste launch 1

Speakers at the launch of FAR final report in Timor-Leste on June 15, 2016: Mr. Joao Boavida, Executive Director - CEPAD; Ministry of Social Solidarity; Mr. Claudio Providas, Country Director - UNDP; Ms. Renée Larivière, Deputy Director General of Interpeace; Mr. Eiji Yamamoto, Japan Ambassador for Timor-Leste; Member of National Working Group.

Through the findings of this research, recommendations and plans of action were developed to understand what resilience for peace looks like and how it can be strengthened in Timor-Leste. According to the results of this research, the key to resilience lays in the strengthening of the relations between the state and its citizens, which relies on trust, inclusion, justice and active participation. A national working group was created during the validation of the findings and will be focusing on  promoting good quality leadership at all local and national levels as a positive contribution to strengthening the resilient capacities of Timorese.

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Timor-Leste launch of the FAR final reports.

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Timorese receive FAR final reports.

To learn more about the findings and results of the FAR programme in Timor-Leste read the final report: Understanding and Strengthening Resilience for Peace.

For additional information:

Read report published by CEPAD in April 2015: Understanding Resilience from a Local Perspective.

Read survey report published by HHI in April 2016: Population-Based Survey on Attitudes and Perceptions About Resilience and Peace.

Event organized by CEPAD to launch FAR final reports in Timor-Leste

What holds us together - A population-based study about resilience for peace in Timor-Leste

In Timor-Leste, conflicts, divides and mistrust among citizens and authorities continue to undermine the building of a lasting peace. While attention has been given to the sources of fragility and obstacles to peace, there is a need to better understand, asses and ultimately leverage the positive assets and attributes of individuals, communities, and institutions in the country.

This report presents the findings from a nationwide survey on resilience for peace that the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), in collaboration with the Centre for Studies for Peace and Development (CEPAD), have undertaken in the context of Interpeace’s Framework for Assessing Resilience Programme. It seeks to contribute to a better understanding of what makes Timorese able to anticipate risk, resolve conflicts collaboratively, and respond creatively to crisis – what we call resilience for peace.

The report has been authored by Phuong N. Pham and Patrick T. Vinck of HHI.

The results of the survey can also be viewed through an interactive map.

 

Understanding and Strengthening Resilience for Peace: Timor-Leste Final Report

Frameworks for Assessing Resilience (FAR). (FAR) is a programme initiated by Interpeace, implemented between 2014 and 2016 with local partners in Guatemala, Liberia et un Timor-Leste. The goal of the FAR programme is to understand resilience to violent conflict from a local perspective and to determine how existing capacities for resilience can be leveraged and strenghtened to better contribute to sustainable peace.

Over the course of eighteen months, the programme in Timor-Leste has sought to identify and promote resilience sources and capacities through an inclusive and participatory process that engaged communities at the grassroots as well as representatives of government institutions and civil society organizations.

This report is the final output of the FAR programme in Timor-Leste

National Working Group on resilience presents its Policy Recommendations in Dili

A more effective national Strategy on Civic Education can foster greater resilience for Peace in Timor-Leste

The National Working Group on Resilience (NWG-R) presented its proposal to establish a National Commission on Civic Education to almost 100 stakeholders from government, civil society, rural communities and international actors during a Validation Workshop held at Hotel Timor, Dili on Friday November 20th, 2015.

The policy proposal and action plan to establish a National Commission for Civic Education is based on the working group’s belief that better coordination of already existing civic education initiatives will go a long way towards improving state society relations, and as a result will make Timorese society more resilient for peace.

Defining civic education as the “processes that use critical thinking to encourage people to apply their values, beliefs and capacities as members of communities in order that they become active citizens, hold their government to account and organize themselves to bring about positive change in society”, the members’ proposal aims to support an active population with the capacity for critical reflection and the motivation to hold leaders to account and take the initiative to implement positive changes in society.

Timorese people from all thirteen municipalities were consulted on their understanding of resilience through focus group discussions and a national survey. The findings reveal that culture, religion, law and security as well as leadership constitute the basic pillars of Timor-Leste’s resilience to violent conflict. It was noted however that the ways in which each of these elements are used and applied by different actors in society determines whether there is greater or lesser resilience for peace in the country. Following the consultation process, the National Working Group on Resilience was convened as an independent body mandated with the task of developing recommendations for strengthening resilience in Timor-Leste.

Meetings were held regularly from June to November 2015 with support and facilitation from the Centre for Studies for Peace and Development (CEPAD), who had led the initial consultation process. The members’ deliberations led to the conclusion that creating the conditions for quality leadership at all levels of society is a priority for a healthy state-society relationship and greater resilience for peace.

The working group is proposing that the National Commission be hosted under the Office of the President of Timor-Leste, and has already had an audience with President Taur Matan Ruak, in the course of deliberations earlier this year. Furthermore, a round-table discussion was hosted at the Presidential Palace in October, during which members of the working group on resilience presented an initial draft of their proposal to decision-makers from different branches of government and key actors from civil society.

The Validation Workshop proved to be an important opportunity to seek feedback and input from a range of stakeholders. Jose Neves, Deputy Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission stated in his keynote address that “good leaders are those that can stand in front, in the middle, to the side and behind. Quality leaders must have many positive thoughts in order that their actions are also positive. Civic education helps to transform people’s potential into positive action.” The objective to better coordinate civic education initiatives in Timor-Leste was widely supported by those in attendance, with some key questions as to the structure and legal basis being raised to inform the strategy for CEPAD and the NWG-R to take it forward.

The first stone is laid for Timor-Leste’s sixth Peace House

Interpeace’s partner in Timor-Leste, the Centre of Studies for Peace and Development (CEPAD), launched the construction of a sixth Peace House in Ma’abat village, Manatuto Municipality on 7 August 2015.

The country’s Secretary of State for Land and Property Jaime Xavier Lopes and Village Chief João da Silva were among those who joined the Manatuto Peace House steering Committee and the local community for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“The construction of this Peace House will allow the community to come together and solve the problems they face,” said Sr. Lopes. “Having a Peace House here means that the peace will indeed be forged in this space.”

Peace Houses (Uma Dame) are based on the Timorese custom of “rolling out the mat” (nahe-biti boot), or meeting to discuss and resolve disputes. These safe, neutral and community-owned venues act as a bridge between municipalities and Timor-Leste’s capital by fostering local debates and linking these to issues of national importance. Five Peace Houses have already been established in Aileu, Bobonaro, Baucau, Ermera and Manufahi.

“I stand here as I want us to further strengthen peace in this place,” said resistance veteran Sr. Sebastiao Soares. “And by breaking the ground for this Peace House, I am contributing to the growth of Manatuto, my municipality.”

Peace Houses are also designed to host a range of complementary activities that bring people together and encourage civil society participation, including youth group meetings, workshops on craft commercialization and language classes.

Others at the ceremony included local representatives from Rede Feto, the national network of women’s organizations, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the State Secretariat for Youth and Sports.

“To all the members of the local community who have passed and whom we remember today: we want you to continue living here,” said Sr. João Boavida, CEPAD Executive Director. “We want you to show us the way and I hope that with this stone I lay here today I will indeed contribute to build and to strengthen peace in this municipality.”

The Manatuto Peace House will open its doors in 2016 thanks to a collaboration between CEPAD, the local community, the Prime Minister’s Office Civil Society Fund and Interpeace.

Mekanismu atu Kompriende Reziliensia: Timor-Leste Relatoriu Nasional

This document is a report of the findings of the consultation phase of the Frameworks for Assessing Resilience (FAR) pilot project in Timor-Leste.