SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello announced today that he attends toappoint a Timorese Government official in charge of environmental issues.
That person will be in charge of planning and development. Development must not harm the environment and environmental concerns must be part of development planning," Sergio Vieira de Mello said at the opening ceremony of the Clean Up the World Day in Dili.
UNDP Resident Representative Finn Reske-Nielsen and Father Leão da Costa, parish priest of Motael Church, also attended the brief ceremony.
Today, East Timor joined ranks with 120 countries to take part in the world’s largest community based environment project. From clean-ups to reforestation, education to recycling and environmental concerts to marches, 40 million people from all over the globe tackled local environmental issues.
In East Timor, community groups, UNTAET’s Environmental Protection Unit, NGO’s and the United Nations Development Programme worked together to clean up and raise awareness. Some 80 scouts cleaned up the two beaches by the side of the Jesus statue in Dili.
UNTAET has designated 15 protected areas of special natural beauty and importance in East Timor and the beaches along the statue are one of these areas.
In other news related to the environment, UNTAET’s Environmental Protection Unit and Dili District have approached a private company in order to establish a recycling program in Dili. It is expected that aluminium cans and plastic bottles will be recycled by the end of the year.
CHINA OPENS DIPLOMATIC MISSION
China officially opened its diplomatic mission in East Timor today.
Ambassador Sho Guanfu will be acting as the head of the mission and presented his credentials to SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello today.
Including the newly opened Chinese diplomatic mission, there are a total of nine foreign missions in East Timor.
RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE MEETS
The Committee on Reconciliation, tasked to look into the possibility of setting up a Peace and Reconciliation Commission, met for the third time yesterday, 21 September.
The Commission, consisting of 14 members representing East Timorese society, UNTAET, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, discussed the institutional design of the body and how to fit the desires of the East Timorese community into a legal mechanism.
The idea of a Peace and Reconciliation Commission was put forward by the CNRT in June as a mechanism to bring back people suspected of minor offences still living as refugees in West Timor.
The Committee, chaired by Father Domingos Soares from CNRT, is also working on formulating a proposal to get funding.
Priscilla Hayner from the United States and Paul van Zyl from South Africa, renowned experts on truth and reconciliation commissions, are visiting East Timor next month to assist the Committee.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 27 September.
AGREEMENT ON TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL PROGRAMMEA Memorandum of Understanding on the East Timor National Tuberculosis Control Programme was signed on Wednesday, 20 September, by the Division of Health Services of the East Timor Transitional Administration, the World Health Organization, Caritas East Timor, Caritas Norway and the Government of the Northern Territory of Australia.
The memorandum defines the roles of the parties involved with the National Tuberculosis Control Programme in East Timor (NTP).
Caritas East Timor will act as a lead agency for the implementation of the programme, in consultation with the Division of Health Services. Caritas East Timor will be responsible for the planning and carrying out training courses, for the supply and distribution of drugs based upon reported cases, among other things.
UNTAET recognizes tuberculosis as one of the major public health priorities in East Timor. There are currently some 1,800 patients in treatment at 12 hospitals all over the territory.
The East Timor National Tuberculosis Control Programme aims at reducing the incidence of tuberculosis through early diagnosis and effective treatment.
SRSG TRAVELS TO NEW YORKSRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello leaves East Timor for New York on Monday afternoon to brief the Security Council at United Nations Headquarters. The briefing will take place on 29 September. SRSG returns to Dili on 13 October.
