SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS SWORN-IN

Sixteen East Timorese top-level civil servants of the East Timor Transitional Administration’s Division of Education were sworn-in today by the Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello. One Director General, one Director of Culture, one Director of Institute of Continuing Education and thirteen District Superintendents took the oath. “As public officials, you will for the first time in your history exercise administrative authority to manage the education affairs of East Timor,” Vieira de Mello said in a speech to the civil servants. “I ask that you handle this authority with transparency and accountability, always conscious of the need to uphold the law. As civil servants, your responsibility will be to the state, to serve the government of the day.”

The East Timorese Cabinet Member for Social Affairs Father Filomeno Jacob called the appointments “a steeping stone in the Timorization process of the Transitional Administration.” As of today, the Division of Education has recruited 32 East Timorese at managerial levels out of 47 positions. The Division has hired over 5,300 East Timorese civil servants. The Civil Service and Public Employment Office has so far recruited over 8,000 East Timorese civil servants, which represents almost 80 per cent of the staffing level approved by National Council for the current fiscal year. Representatives from the Cabinet, diplomatic corps, CNRT, donor institutions, among others, attended today’s ceremony.

CABINET ENDORSES TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY

The East Timor Transitional Cabinet today endorsed a national telecommunications policy, which calls for the drafting of a Telecommunications Act. The Act will establish a body to oversee the delivery of telecommunications services to the public, and establish the regulatory framework for the provision of commercial telecommunications services. The Telecommunications Act will be forwarded to the National Council once agreed by Cabinet. The Cabinet also discussed the outcomes of the Cabinet Budget Committee deliberations on the Consolidated Fund for East Timor (CFET) budgetary support for the fiscal year 2001-2002. A budget covering all sources of public finances for East Timor, including CFET, the Trust Fund for East Timor and the UN Assessed Contributions Budget and bilateral donors, will be submitted for the Cabinet’s consideration next week, and thereafter will be presented to the National Council.

The Cabinet also discussed the first report of the East Timor Transitional Administration/NGO Working Group on the provisions to be included in the interim country agreement between the Transitional Administration and the international NGOs operating in East Timor. The draft standard agreement will be submitted for Cabinet’s consideration, in line with the recommendations of the Working Group. The Head of the National Planning and Development Agency briefed Cabinet on capacity building initiatives within the Transitional Administration. More specifically, Cabinet approved a capacity building programme in land conflict resolution skills to be funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. This programme aims to train national and district land and property officials and representatives from civil society groups on land conflict resolution skills and processes. Finally, Cabinet was briefed by the Cabinet Members for Political Affairs and the Timor Sea, and Economic Affairs, on the latest round of negotiations with the Australian Government on the Timor Sea. Cabinet endorsed a negotiating strategy for the Timor Sea.