Timor-Leste

Oxfam’s vision is for Timor-Leste as a country to enjoy prosperity and equality, and for all citizens — women and men –to actively shape the development process and enjoy the well-being that flows from this process, even in times of crisis.

To support this vision, Oxfam in Timor-Leste works with local partner organisations to deliver a three part program that reflects major challenges in Timor-Leste:

• integrated rural development
• inclusive development
• humanitarian preparedness and response

As an organisation with a commitment to gender equality, gender justice is a cross-cutting issue. Our gender program aim to ensure women have access to and participate in the program, and challenge social norms and structural discrimination that lead to and perpetuate gender inequality.

Oxfam continues to work with local partner organisations to strengthen community-led rural development, particularly through agriculture and access to markets, women’s economic empowerment, and mainstreaming of Oxfam’s current disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation approach.

Oxfam also supports communities to influence and monitor government expenditure, particularly on issues related to rural development such as the Programa Nasional Dezenvolvimentu Suku (PNDS) program.

Timor-Leste is changing, with the Government of Timor-Leste taking on a more prominent role in national development through new government programs to support infrastructure and district development. Oxfam supports civil society organisations to advocate to government on policy change and to stand with vulnerable communities so that the voices of all citizens are heard, their rights respected and communities receive long-term benefit from government programs.

Humanitarian preparedness and response is a key part of the Oxfam program in Timor-Leste. We work with Oxfam staff, government disaster management agencies, civil society and community to build preparedness for and capacity to respond to disasters in Timor-Leste.