Established, DWCP Steering Committee of Timor-Leste

As an immediate follow-up to the launch of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) for Timor-Leste 2016-2020 in June 2016, the key tripartite representatives of Timor-Leste conducted the first DWCP Steering Committee meeting in August 2016. The meeting was supported and facilitated by the ILO.

The DWCP 2016-2020 serves as a framework to support Government of Timor-Leste to achieve its National Strategic Development Plan (SDP) 2011-2030. The DWCP 2016-2020 was jointly developed by the ILO, the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training and Employment Policy (SEPFOPE), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Timor-Leste (CCI-TL) and the Timor-Leste Trade Union Confederation (KSTL), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works, Transports and Communications (MPWTC) and the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS).

The agreed three priority areas are the following:

Employment Promotion and Social Protection

• Effective economic policies for sustainable employment
• National social protection system strengthened

Rural Socio-economic Development

• Effective rural infrastructure programmes
• Upgraded value-chain and business development in rural areas

Good Labour Market Governance Institutions

• Capacity building for labour administration
• Capacity building for employers and workers
• Tripartism and social dialogue

The roles of the Steering Committee are to provide policy guidance to the ILO Office and implementing partners in order to ensure the alignment of DWCP with national priorities regularly monitor the implementation of the DWCP, ensure the active participation of all key stakeholders, periodically review and evaluate activities and their impact in the country and be responsible of reporting on measurable results.

The meeting was concluded with the appointment of nine members of the DWCP Steering Committee Members with a composition of three representatives each from SEPFOPE, KSTL and CCI-TL. Meanwhile, the ILO office was appointed as a secretariat with three dedicated staffs in the Committee as observers.

The new established Steering Committee agreed to meet twice a year with the next meeting is planned on November 2016. The meeting also developed an implementation plan for the period of August-December 2016 that, among others, would include the following activities:

• drafting the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labour in Timor-Leste
• launch of National Employment Strategy, discussion on minimum wages
• leadership and negotiation training workshop
• finalization of the Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprises study using the ILO’s methodology

Members of DWCP Steering Committee of Timor-Leste

Secretary of State of Vocational Training and Employment Policy (SEPFOPE)

Jacinto Barros Gusmao, Director General for Planning Mgt, Monitoring and Evaluation Paulo Alves, General Directors of Skills Training and Employment Aniceto Leto Soro, Inspector General of Labour

Timor-Leste Trade Union Confederation (KSTL)

Jose da Conceicao da Costa, Secretary General KSTL Tito Geronimo, Construction Union/STKTL Almerio Januario Vila Nova, Secretary General of General Workers Union/SJT-TL

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Timor-Leste (CCI-TL)

Sidonio Freitas, General Director for Natural Resoure of CCI-TL Hernani Agostinho Soares, General Director for Social & Economic of CCI-TL Fernando Afonso da Silva, Secretary General Assembly of CCI-TL

ILO Jakarta Office (Secretariat)

Michiko Miyamoto, Deputy Director of ILO Indonesia and Timor-Leste Tomas Stenstrom, Head of Mission for Timor-Leste Programme Lita Octavia, Programme Officer for Timor-Leste Programme

Source: Result of the first DWCP Steering Committee in August 2016