Serving On Mission

Timor-Leste

Location: Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago;

Note – East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

Capital: Dili

Population: 1,108,777

Note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2008 est.)

The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of East Timor. An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias – organized and supported by the Indonesian military – commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution.

The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country’s infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country’s electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent state. In March of 2006, a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order. Over 2,000 Australian, New Zealand, and Portuguese police and peacekeepers deployed to East Timor in late May. Although many of the peacekeepers were replaced by UN police officers, 850 Australian soldiers remained as of 1 January 2007.

UNMIT Mandate

The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) was established by Security Council resolution 1704 of 25 August 2006 with the following mandate:

(a) To support the Government and relevant institutions, with a view to consolidating stability, enhancing a culture of democratic governance, and facilitating political dialogue among Timorese stakeholders, in their efforts to bring about a process of national reconciliation and to foster social cohesion;

(b) To support Timor-Leste in all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral process, including through technical and logistical support, electoral policy advice and verification or other means;

© To ensure, through the presence of United Nations police, the restoration and maintenance of public security in Timor-Leste through the provision of support to the Timorese national police (PNTL), as outlined in the Secretary-General’s report, which includes interim law enforcement and public security until PNTL is reconstituted, and to assist with the further training, institutional development and strengthening of the PNTL as well as the Ministry of Interior, and also assist in the planning and preparing of electoral-related security arrangements to adequately prepare the national police for performing their roles and responsibilities during the conduct of the 2007 elections;

(d) To support the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, to liaise on security tasks and to establish a continuous presence in three border districts alongside armed United Nations police officers assigned to district police stations, through the impartial presence of United Nations military liaison officers;

(e) To assist the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in conducting a comprehensive review of the future role and needs of the security sector, including the Falintil-Forças Armadas de Defesa Timor-Leste, the Ministry of Defence, the PNTL and the Ministry of Interior with a view to supporting the Government, through the provision of advisers and in cooperation and coordination with other partners, in strengthening institutional capacity-building, as appropriate;

(f) To assist, in cooperation and coordination with other partners, in further building the capacity of State and Government institutions in areas where specialized expertise is required, such as in the justice sector, and to promote a “compact” between Timor-Leste and the international community for coordinating Government, United Nations and other multilateral and bilateral contributors to priority programmes;

(g) To assist in further strengthening the national institutional and societal capacity and mechanisms for the monitoring, promoting and protecting of human rights and for promoting justice and reconciliation, including for women and children, and to observe and report on the human rights situation;

(h) To facilitate the provision of relief and recovery assistance and access to the Timorese people in need, with a particular focus on the segment of society in the most vulnerable situation, including internally displaced and women and children;

(i) To assist in the implementation of relevant recommendations in the Secretary-General’s report on Justice and Reconciliation, including to assist the Office of the Prosecutor-General of Timor-Leste, through the provision of a team of experienced investigative personnel, to resume investigative functions of the former Serious Crimes Unit, with a view to completing investigations into outstanding cases of serious human rights violations committed in the country in 1999;

(j) To cooperate and coordinate with United Nations agencies, funds and programmes as well as all relevant partners, including the international financial institutions and donors, in carrying out tasks mentioned above as relevant, with a view to making maximum use of existing and forthcoming bilateral and multilateral assistance to Timor-Leste in post-conflict peacebuilding and capacity-building, and to support the Government and relevant institutions, in cooperation and coordination with other partners, in designing poverty reduction and economic growth policies and strategies to achieve the development plan of Timor-Leste;

(k) To mainstream gender perspectives and those of children and youth throughout the Mission’s policies, programmes and activities, and, working together with United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, support the development of a national strategy to promote gender equality and empowerment of women;

(l) To provide objective and accurate information to the Timorese people, particularly regarding the forthcoming 2007 elections, while promoting an understanding of the work of UNMIT, and to assist in building local media capacity;

(m) To ensure, within its capability and areas of deployment, and in coordination with the international security forces, the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and associated personnel, and protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment and humanitarian assets associated with the operation; and

(n) To monitor and review progress in (a) through (m) above.

By its resolution 1802 of 25 February 2008, which was adopted after the attacks on the President and the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste on 11 February 2008 and all attempts to destabilize the country, the Security Council requested UNMIT:

(a) To continue its efforts, adjusting them as necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the judiciary system, and assist the Government of Timor-Leste in carrying out the proceedings recommended by the Commission of Inquiry;

(b) To support the Government of Timor-Leste in its efforts to coordinate donor cooperation in areas of institutional capacity-building;

© To intensify its efforts, working with partners, to assist with further training, mentoring, institutional development and strengthening of the PNTL with a view to enhancing its effectiveness, including with respect to addressing the special needs of women, while continuing to ensure, through the presence of UNMIT police component, the restoration and maintenance of public security in Timor-Leste through the provision of support to PNTL, which includes interim law enforcement and public security until PNTL is reconstituted.

Contacting UNMIT

Allison Cooper
UNMIT Spokesperson
Phone: +670 7230453
Email: coopera@un.org

Hipolito Gama
UNMIT National Spokesperson
Phone: +670 731 1839
Email: gama@un.org

Rama Razy
Public Information Officer
Phone: +670 7311693
Email: razy@un.org

Via Dili PTT Lines:
Switchboard +670-330-4100
Fax (CommCentre) +670-330-4110

Via Darwin
Switchboard +61 8 89 463 900

Via New York:
Switchboard +1-212-963-0099
Fax +1-212-963-2180

Via UNLB (Brindisi):
Switchboard: 169-5000
All other extensions: 169-xxxx

To switchboard from abroad +39 0831 23 3555
Fax +39 0831 23 3063

Postal Mail Addresses

To Dili via Darwin, Australia:

UNMIT
P.O. BOX 2436
Destination East Timor/
Via DARWIN, NT 0801
AUSTRALIA