Still-fragile institutions pose major obstacles as Timor-Leste works to forge a resilient and representative democracy. To strengthen Timor-Leste’s democracy, USAID promotes good governance and helps reduce corruption.
With USAID assistance, Timor-Leste held peaceful elections in 2017 and 2018 without international supervision, customs reform is underway and parliamentarians are learning best practices to effectively represent their constituents.
Timor-Leste is one of the world’s youngest countries and while a beacon of democracy in South East Asia, the country’s institutional capacity remains weak. Government responsiveness to citizens is low, though citizens are eager for more engagement. USAID’s development strategy focuses on improving the government’s ability to deliver key public services, strengthening sub-national institutions to respond to citizen needs and increasing community and citizen engagement with government and local institutions.
- Female voter turnout in May was even higher at 48.6 percent than in the 2017 elections, evidence that CEPPS’ efforts to increase women’s participation in elections is succeeding.
- Advised the Fiscal Reform Commission on establishing an online customs payment system, which will help prevent corruption, ensure transparency and increased effectiveness and efficiency in the payment process, as per international standards.
- Conducted 166 outreach sessions in rural areas for 12,976 people, 44.8 percent of whom are women. By focusing on topics such as gender-based violence and women's rights in FY 2018, increased female participation at outreach sessions from 44 percent in FY 2017 to 52 percent, surpassing male participation for the first time.
