DEVELOPMENT: East Timor Among World’s Poorest States, Says U.N.

By Thalif Deen Reprint | | Print |

Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, May 21 2002 (IPS) - The new nation state of East Timor is among the world’s 20 poorest countries in financial and human development terms, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) said Tuesday.

In a study released here, UNDP said East Timor’s per capita income is about 478 dollars compared with its more affluent neighbours and soon-to-be regional partners, including Singapore (over 26,000 dollars), Australia (about 22,000 dollars), Malaysia (about 12,000 dollars) and Indonesia (over 4,500 dollars).

The fledging nation’s human development index – based on life expectancy, educational attainment and income per person – is on a par with ailing economies such as Angola, Bangladesh and Haiti, according to the study.

Life expectancy in East Timor is 57 years and nearly half the country’s roughly 800,000 people survive on less than 55 cents a day. More than half of all adults are illiterate and more than half the country’s infants are underweight, the report said.

Prepared by a team of Timorese and international experts, the study points out that the country, formally inaugurated over the weekend, will need considerable international assistance to overcome poverty and promote economic growth.

Addressing a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council on East Timor Monday, Singaporean Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar, who also is Council president, said the Timorese could not forge ahead by themselves.

Describing East Timor as Asia’s poorest nation, Jayakumar said that sustained international assistance would prove essential during its early years of nationhood.

Last week, the international donor community pledged more than 360 million dollars in development assistance to be spread over a three-year period.

The 360 million dollars will complement 81 million dollars already available through a multi-donor trust fund, bringing the total to more than 441 million dollars in international support for East Timor.

UNDP said one of the major determinants of East Timor’s longer-term economic future will be the way it uses revenues from oil and gas.

Australia and East Timor have signed the Timor Sea Arrangement governing oil and gas fields they share in the Timor Gap.

The treaty, if implemented, would provide East Timor with more than 3.6 billion dollars in revenues over a 20-year period. These revenues are expected to be East Timor’s key sources of income after independence.

“The challenge is to resist the temptation to spend these revenues on current consumption but to invest in human development and stimulate private enteprise,” UNDP said.

The final test of all these decisions – on agriculture, tourism or oil and gas – is whether or not they will directly improve the lives of poor familes, it added.

Addressing the inaugural ceremonies in Dili Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “Independence will not mean the end of the world’s commitment to you”.

On May 17, the Security Council established the U.N. Mission of Support for East Timor (UNMISET), a successor to the U.N. Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).

UNMISET, which was created for an initial 12 months, is mandated to provide assistance to ensure the political stability of East Timor. Annan said he expects the mission to be in East Timor at least for the next two years.

The new U.N. mission will initially comprise 1,250 civilian police and about 5,000 soldiers, including 120 military observers.

It will provide interim law enforcement and public security, assist in developing the East Timor Police Service, and contribute to the maintenance of external and internal security. The civilian component of UNMISET will provide the government with assistance to fight HIV/AIDS, advance human rights and combat crimes.

Hours after gaining independence, East Timor requested membership in the United Nations. Annan said he foresaw no obstacle to the country’s admission.

If both the General Assembly and the Security Council endorse its application, East Timor will be the U.N.’s 190th member state.

East Timor is also expected to be the eleventh member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) – along with Brunei, Burma (also known as Myanmar) Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.