TRAINING STARTS FOR WOMEN POLITICAL CANDIDATES

One hundred and sixty-nine potential East Timorese women candidates to the Constituent Assembly will receive training this month in political participation, decision making and basic knowledge on how to become a candidate in the 30 August elections. The first batch, consisting of 35 women, started a three-day workshop today, 1 May, in the premises of the World Bank. The training follows SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello’s announcement of measures to encourage women participation in the elections, in connection with the signing of the regulation on elections and registration of political parties on 16 March. The training is arranged by UNTAET’s Gender Affairs Unit in conjunction with the United Nations Fund for Women, UNIFEM, who supplies three trainers. Organizations all over East Timor have been asked to help in identifying women who may be interested in either running as independent or political party candidates. The women participating in the workshops come from all 13 districts and represent a large variety of organizations. Those who finally decide to run for the elections, will receive additional training in the coming months.

FISHERY PROJECT LAUNCHED

The Department of Agricultural Affairs of the East Timor Transitional Administration in conjunction with the NGO Timor Aid has launched a fishery project in the waters near Dili. Fish aggregating devices – long series of floats and suspension lines with palm leaves attached, serving as the breeding and feeding area for fishes – are being lowered in the waters outside Atauro Island and Hera, helping fishermen catch larger quantities of fish. The material has been donated by Australian aid agency AusAID. In addition, 72 containers of fishery tools, such as nets, boat engines, hooks, sinkers and storage containers arrived in East Timor last week. The Department of Agriculture Affairs will now deliver the tools, donated by the Chinese Government, to needy fishermen in the country.

STEPPED-UP EFFORTS TO CLEAN UP RUBBISH

The Division of Water and Sanitation of the East Timor Transitional Administration and the World Bank, through its Trust Fund for East Timor, is stepping up efforts to rid Dili of rubbish. Companies, which have registered with the Transitional Administration’s Business Registration Unit and can supply trucks, staff and tools for rubbish collection, will be considered in the tender process. The deadline to submit the forms was yesterday, 30 April, and a dozen companies have registered their interest. The contract is for three months and is expected to start by June. The work includes collecting rubbish, cleaning drainage and transporting the garbage to the dumpsite in Tibar outside Dili. Two local companies have been cleaning rubbish in the central area of Dili for the past months, using two trucks supplied by UNDP.