SC – Debate on Timor Leste
Statement by Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations
New York, 23 February 2010
At the outset, I would like to join my colleagues in welcoming Deputy Prime Minister Guterres and thank him for his contribution to the debate of today. I would further congratulate the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ms. Ameerah Haq, to her appointment and thank her for her update on the situation in Timor-Leste.
Let me also say that Austria fully aligns herself with the statement to be delivered by the EU Delegation on behalf of the European Union later in the debate.
Austria welcomes the Secretary-General’s latest report on the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste, which incorporates the detailed findings and recommendations of the technical assessment mission that visited Timor-Leste last month. The report of the assessment mission is a very useful tool for reviewing progress made on the medium-term strategy and on meeting the benchmarks for UNMIT’s mandated priority areas. We also appreciate the comprehensive and inclusive approach taken in the preparation and implementation of the mission.
The Secretary-General’s report reflects the positive development that Timor-Leste has been able to make and we wish to commend the Government and the people of Timor-Leste on their achievements. We welcome the successful resumption of primary policing responsibilities in a number of districts and units and are looking forward to the continuation of this process. It is our understanding that the transfer of policing responsibilities must be in line with the agreed criteria and will require the completion of the certification process. Continued monitoring from a human rights and gender perspective as well as effective accountability mechanisms for the security forces will be important. We support the adjustments in the number of UNMIT police personnel, as suggested by the Secretary-General for 2010, and agree that further draw-downs would require an additional assessment.
Important progress has been made concerning the situation of the IDPs. We need to make returns and reintegration sustainable. In this context, we welcome the use of the Peacebuilding Fund Emergency Window to finance infrastructure projects as well as monitoring mechanisms.
Timor Leste continues to face important challenges in reducing poverty and creating employment opportunities in particular for its youth population. There is an increasing need to move from conflict prevention to a comprehensive development agenda. The current elaboration of a national development strategy should allow for more effective international support and increased national ownership in this area, which should focus, in particular, on assisting the country’s youth.
We welcome some progress made in strengthening the rule of law, including in holding accountable those responsible for criminal acts and human rights violations during the 2006 crisis, as well as continued investigations by the UNMIT Serious Crimes Investigations Team into serious violations committed in 1999. We remain concerned that further delay in delivering justice will adversely affect public confidence in the judiciary and, more broadly, in the government. We wish to reiterate our support for Timor-Leste’s endeavours to build strong institutions that can fight impunity for grave violations of human rights. UNMIT will also need to continue to play an active role on this issue.
The Government’s response to the independent needs assessment report on the justice sector is very encouraging. We hope that the recommendations of that report will be taken into account in the ongoing development of a Strategic Plan for the Justice Sector. In this context, it is evidently also important to address the specific rights and needs of women. We are concerned about the difficulty encountered by victims of sexual and gender-based violence in obtaining justice. The provision of training to police and justice personnel will be an important measure to cope with these challenges. We also believe that the number of women officers should be increased, both in the national and the UNMIT police.
Security sector reform remains one of the major challenges for long-term peace and stability. We welcome the Government’s efforts to develop a National Security Policy, as well as progress made in establishing civilian oversight of the security sector. Further clarification of the respective roles and tasks of the police and the defence forces is evidently important. The “Force 2020” Strategic Plan constitutes an important step in this regard. We commend the defence forces for their intention to consider the development of capacities for disaster relief and for participation in UN peacekeeping. These are areas where the armed forces of smaller and medium-sized countries might be able to provide appropriate training and advice. Austria is exploring ways to assist Timor-Leste in its capacity-building efforts in these areas.
In conclusion, we believe that there should be a positive response to the overwhelming desire of the Timorese society for continued UN support until 2012. Austria therefore supports the extension of UNMIT’s mandate for a further period of 12 months and the continuation of a strong good offices role of the SRSG. Capacity building should be at the centre of international efforts to further increase national ownership and ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of the Timorese nation.
