East Timor

Background

East Timor comprises the eastern half of the Pacific island of Timor. The territory consists largely of forested mountains that descend to coastal plains and mangrove swamps.

Most Timorese have made their living from agriculture, growing food crops such as sweet potatoes or corn, along with cash crops especially coffee, which has been the leading export. Farmers on the coastal plains also grow rice and plantation crops such as rubber, tobacco, and coconuts. In addition the forests yield many kinds of timber, including sandalwood.

The main source of national income in the future will be in oil and gas, as there are considerable offshore reserves.

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DFID in East Timor

DFID has recently provided £3 million to support the East Timor National Development Plan (NDP) through a Consolidated Support Programme (CSP) Trust Fund. The Programme helps establish priorities, monitor progress in policy implementation, building government capacity and supporting donors.

DFID has also recently provided £750,000 to support the Government of Timor Leste’s (GTL) five-year Planning and Financial Management Capacity Building Programme (PFMCBP) to strengthen Public Financial Management and Accountability systems. DFID’s contribution is channelled through a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank.

In June 2006 DFID provided CARE International with an Emergency Relief grant of £106,000 for the Internally Displaced Peoples camps (approximately 140,000 people in Dili and Liquica). This was used to support emergency food distribution, water-sanitation, hygiene promotion, support for vulnerable groups, and activities for children.

In December 2006, DFID approved a further grant of £82,000 to CARE to address the increased need for support in providing health facilities, conducting growth monitoring and supplementary feeding for children under 5 and pregnant/lactating mothers at the community level.

Last updated: 7 April 2007