PROMOTING SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILTY MECHANISM IN EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT IN TIMOR LESTE

Despite the fact that Timor Leste has an abundant supply of oil and gas revenues, its citizens are among the world’s poorest. Since independence in 2002, limited progress has been made on the country’s twin objectives of economic growth and poverty reduction in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. Timor Leste has a low life expectancy, high illiteracy and widespread food insecurity. Revenues for reconstruction are still urgently needed today but Governments’ efforts to provide transparent and accountable service delivery have not been satisfactory.

Luta Hamutuk Institute as a CSO member in Timor Leste has an initiative to contribute and to participate in National Development process. At the same time Luta Hamutuk believe that participatory development which based on transparency and accountability values can be a key to achieve country’s twin objectives of economic growth and poverty reduction in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals. Based on this point of view, Luta Hamutuk Institute has a very good cooperation with RWI in promoting Oil Transparency by using EITI and Social accountability mechanism in order to guaranty transparency in revenue collection as well as guaranty accountability in revenue expenditure. 

In order to engage more civil society members and community leaders’ participation in promoting accountability in Extractive Industry sector, Luta Hamutuk has cooperation with ANSA which facilitated by RWI, has organized a workshop during 3 days in Dili, Timor Leste. The workshop was held on 27-29 March, and discussed some topics as bellow:

1. Discussing about how to use Community Score Card (CSC) and Community Report Card (CRC) in doing advocacy towards Oil Companies and the Government as well as monitoring local content projects in EI sector.
2. Sharing information and experiences on Social Accountability approach in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Philippine.

Resource Person and Participant:

During three day workshop there were 2 resources person from ANSA-Philippine, 1 resource person from RWI and 2 resources person from Luta Hamutuk Institute. The participant comes from 3 components as identified by Luta Hamutuk as a target groups:

1. Luta Hamutuk’s focal point and local authority representatives from Aileu District-Timor Leste.
2. Representative from local NGO in Dili
3. Representative from University Student group in Dili

Quick result has been evaluated:

1.      Participants are now has skills in how to use Community Score Card and Community report card (CRC), as they promised to use in their future monitoring activities.

2.      Participant are now has a basic knowledge on how social accountability mechanism can really works in other country like Indonesia and Philippine. 

3.      Participants are now has sufficient information on revenue collection from oil and gas in Timor Leste and understand on how government and Oil Company implementing local content projects in Aileu district and other districts in Timor Leste.     

By; Luta Hamutuk