Context: Timor-Leste is the most rapidly growing country in South-East Asia and, with a population growth rate of 2.36 per cent, it is also ranked as one of the fastest growing nations in the world. The current population is roughly 1,300,000 and, by 2050, it is estimated to rise to almost 2,400,000. With a median age of 18.9 years, it is also the second youngest nation in the Asia and Pacific region. Youth (below the age of 35) account for 74 per cent of the total population. Due to extreme violence, conflict and decades of civil unrest, almost 90 per cent of all school buildings, where 240,000 children were educated and 6,000 teachers were employed, were destroyed by 2001. Among the most visible elements of the conflict in Timor-Leste was the involvement of youth in widespread violence. Indeed, fighting amongst groups of youth is currently the most long-standing and visible result of the crisis and instability so prevalent in the country’s history. Following Timor Leste’s independence in 2002, the nation has faced enormous challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure. A key aim has been the return of children to schools. However, exacerbating this issue is rapid population growth, which places the government under further pressure to improve the school enrollment rate and reduce youth unemployment. Due to recent conflicts and instability, Timor Leste still struggles to engage and support its 962,000 young people, as evidenced by the low youth literacy rate, youth employment rate and school life expectancy. The statistics show that 30 per cent of young people (15-24) are still illiterate, school life expectancy is only 13 years and 70 per cent of job seekers are young people aged 15-29. The Timor Leste Youth Parliament (TLYP), “Parlamento Foinsa’e Nian”, was established with the purpose of improving youth engagement in Timor Leste.
Implementation of Initiative: The TLYP was formed in October 2009 and is comprised of young parliamentarians aged between 12 and 17 who represent their local areas for a period of two years. There are 132 youth representatives in the TLYP; two young people are chosen per subdistrict, including two young persons with disabilities. Candidates are identified through a rigorous community selection process operated throughout each subdistrict. The young parliamentarians contribute to the national dialogue on issues that concern their region and receive training from UNICEF on topics such as children’s right to education, protection and health. They also receive briefing sessions from local government officials on issues affecting Timor Leste, such as education, the environment and employment. The young parliamentarians are further provided the opportunity to raise concerns on a broad range of topics that affect young people in their regions. TLYP is supported by UNICEF and the Timorese Government, namely the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports.
The main mission of TLYP is to serve as a mechanism for young people to contribute to national development processes. It is a platform for adolescents and youth to learn about, and practice, democratic values and leadership skills. TLYP aims to assist young parliamentarians in identifying and discussing the problems of Timorese society. It also engages young people in Timorese politics and social issues, whilst increasing their involvement in public life. The creation of such a space for raising awareness and the education of youngsters is integrated in the vision of development and capacity building of young Timorese peoples, promoted by the IV Constitutional Government.
Main challenges: Several challenges have been documented as part of this programme. The selection process was of early concern, as it needs to be democratic and transparent. Voting for subdistrict representatives must be accessible for all and awareness of the voting processes and outcomes should be mandatory. It has also been noted that more interaction between representatives and constituencies is needed to strengthen accountability. Youth parliamentarians need to consult young people in their subdistrict and advocate for their concerns and rights with policymakers, before reporting back the results of such discussions. Finally, the Youth Parliament initiative should benefit all young people not simply those explicitly involved with the project.
Results Achieved: In the nine years following the establishment of TLYP, there have been many promising results. Of note are the direct benefits to youth parliamentarians such as capacity building and training on topics including leadership, citizenship, environmental issues, public speaking, debating, basic planning and organizational management. Youth parliamentarians represent Timor Leste’s young people in conferences nationally and abroad, and thus have opportunities for study tours to Australia, Indonesia and Spain.
Young people have also achieved results in plenary seatings of TLYP, where youth issues are discussed and recommendations are made on matters affecting young people in Timor Leste. Many resolutions have also been passed as the young parliamentarians discuss issues with Government. Finally, many youth-led campaigns and initiatives have successfully raised awareness and sensitized young people on relevant issues that affect them. At the end of TLYP sessions, the recommendations are officially presented to the National Parliament and the Secretary State for Youth and Sports. They are then used for follow-up dialogue by the young parliamentarians in the coming year.
Moving Forward: In order to continue the training and development of the former youth parliamentarians, the Alumnae network has been created. The Alumnae are to share their experiences with the new youth parliamentarians and are to propose and implement their own initiatives. The Secretariat of State has also offered grants to the best former parliamentarians to allow the students to continue their studies at the University of Timor-Leste
So as to improve the selection process of the new parliamentarians, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport is to approve a new temporary Statute, drafted by the Secretariat together with UNICEF and the National Youth Council, to regulate and improve the mechanism to select new members to TLYP. This improved mechanism consists of two stages: in the first stage, the candidates go on “campaign” to their village’s schools, meeting the young people who will eventually vote; in the second stage, the elected candidates face a test in front of a board of examiners. The best qualified candidates in both parts of the election process will be designated youth parliamentarians.
Replicability: Acting as lessons for others, the Government has shown the benefit of ensuring such an initiative positively impacts all young people in the region and not just those directly involved. The young parliamentarians are offered opportunities to organize activities related to TLYP in their home regions. This allows for the education of all youth into the political and social affairs of Timor Leste and may inspire a younger generation to campaign the following year for the position of youth parliamentarian of their region. This programme has provided young people with an opportunity to engage in their country’s issues at a cost to the Timorese government and UNICEF. Such an approach could be funded by other governments and donors willing to provide this type of financial incentive.
References:
https://www.unicef.org/eapro/Timor-Leste_-_Adolescents_presentation.pdf
http://timor-leste.gov.tl/?p=3674&lang=en&n=1
https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/Timorleste_57229.html
http://uniceftimorleste.blogspot.com/2015/11/building-future-leaders-through-youth.html
https://unmit.unmissions.org/unicef-supports-launch-timor-leste-youth-parliament
https://www.laohamutuk.org/econ/16TLDPM/06-National-Youth-PolicyLeo.pdf
Acknowledgements:
This good practice was kindly prepared by Ms. Elizabeth Linklater
Project Details
Date: June 8, 2018