Saturday 28 June 2008

Who is interested in buying a good or service inside Timor-Leste?


In its first month, between 20 May and 20 June 2008, the Timor-Leste Online Procurement Database was visited by 722 people on 1 695 occasions and they viewed a total of 9 996 pages.

57% of all visitors viewed the site from inside Timor-Leste, while 15% were from Australia, 7% from Indonesia and 3% from Portugal.

Users of the site came from a total of 47 countries.


Wednesday 25 June 2008

Singapore - Dili - Good for business.


Dili - Singapore Direct Flights

For your info. AustAsia Airlines.
Flight Schedule

Flight codes for Singapore - Dili - Singapore is as follows :

MI295 : Dili to Singapore

MI296 : Singapore to Dili

Flights to Dili from Singapore are regular weekly scheduled passenger flights for month of July. Effective August the flights will increase to twice a week on Tuesday and Friday. Commencing November the flights will become three times a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Flying time is 3 hours and 55 minutes.

Passports must be valid & hold a minimum of 6 months validity from return date

Day Route Departure Arrival Check-In Time

Tuesday or Friday or Thursday or Saturday Singapore to Dili
09:20 LT 14:15 LT 07:00 LT

Tuesday or Friday or Thursday or Saturday Dili to Singapore
15:25 LT 18:10 LT 12:00 LT

The Aircraft

Austasia Airlines is currently utilizing an A319 aircraft from Silk Air to service the direct Singapore-Dili routes. The A319 offers 12 Business Class seats and 106 Economy Class seats.

Published Fares

Rates are quoted in United States Dollars and are subject to change without notice

Economy Class

Adult one way US$ 345.00
Adult Return US$ 690.00

Business Class

Adult one way US$ 810.00
Adult return US$ 1,620.00

Rates are not inclusive of applicable taxes.

Monday 23 June 2008

Liquica Online - www.buildingmarkets.org

The Peace Dividend Trust Verification team has completed the first stage of surveying businesses in the District of Liquica. 26 businesses are now online.

The results can be found online at http://www.buy-in-timor.org/index.php?sop=KeywordSearch&keyword=&district=761&x=29&y=10&viewall=1

A snapshot of the goods and services that can be procured in Liquica are as follows:

Construction services: Building (houses, school, offices), bridges, concertina wire/retaining wall, plumbing, water channel, water and sanitation services and rubbish collection services.

Metal furniture (doors, windows, beds, chairs), welding doors, windows and bed. Car and motorcycles maintenance and repairing. Motorcycles spare parts supply (tires).

Stationary, foodstuffs, drinking water, beer and soft drinks. Photocopy and laminating services.

Restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serves both Asian and Portuguese food. Catering services for up to 200 persons.

Home and office furniture: Tables, chairs, cupboards, doors, windows and beds. Construction materials (doors frame and windows frame). Carpentry. Agriculture activities including plant vegetables, tomatoes and papaya. Seeds and seedlings. Weaving tais (traditional textile).

Restaurant serves Asian and western food. Catering services for up to 100 persons. Accommodation available for rent (4 normal rooms).

Civil construction: Buildings, bridges, concertina wire/retaining wall, plumbing, water channel, water and sanitation services.

Metalworks: Short machete, knife, ax and crowbar.

Rattan furniture: Chairs, tables, cupboards and beds.

Tobacco Plantation: Planting and selling tobacco.

Please report any gaps and errors to timordatabase@peacedividendtrust.org

Wednesday 18 June 2008

PDT offers free services to institutions and individuals to help Buy Local and Build Timor-Leste.

The Peace Dividend Trust Marketplace project (http://www.peacedividendtrust.tl/) offers 5 services - for free - in order to help individuals and organisations buy goods and services inside Timor-Leste.

1. Procurement Database: PDT is developing a comprehensive database of all businesses in Timor-Leste which is available for institutional and individual buyers via http://www.buildingmarkets.org/. As of 17 June 2008 1048 businesses are online with distinct and comprehensive business profiles. To date Lautem, Baucau, Viqueque, Manatuto, Dili have been surveyed and are online. Liquica is being processed and the survey of Oecusse has just commenced. If you find gaps and errors just email timordatabase@peacedividendtrust.org. View the website, and find what you are looking for.

2. Matchmaking: PDT's matchmaking services directly link buyers and suppliers, both in Dili and the Districts. Matchmaking staff work in Dili and micromatchmaking staff are in Lautem, Baucau, Ainaro, Cova Lima, Bobonaro and Oecusse. As of 17 June 2008 over 700 matchmaking requests for goods and services have been received both in Dili and the districts. Contact a PDT matchmaker via timor-leste@peacedividendtrust.org and find what you are looking for.

3. Tender Distribution Point: PDT manages a tender distribution service which provides a central location for obtaining information on tenders by international agencies and some government orders. Information is also distributed by hardcopy, email and SMS to businesses in Dili and the Districts. As of 17 June 2008 over 125 tenders have been processed. Have a tender you want distributed? Contact PDT via tdp@peacedividendtrust.org.

4. Training and Outreach program: PDT assists in building the capacity of the domestic private sector to access, understand, and bid on procurement opportunities.

5. Advocacy: PDT manages the Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste advocacy campaign to support local procurement initiatives. To date Merpati, Airnorth, UNMIT, The Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have offered to assistance. If you or your organisation wants to support this initiative please contact timor-leste@peacedividendtrust.org

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste. Is now afloat.





With strong support from the Ministry for Tourism, Commerce and Industry and the Ministry for Infrastructure Peace Dividend Trust was able to obtain permission to mount the Building Markets Logo and Slogan (http://www.buildingmarkets.org/) on both sides of Timor-Leste largest moving capital asset, the Nakroma Ferry. Provided to the Government of Timor-Leste by the Government of Germany the Nakroma services the isolated communites of Atauro Island and the Oecusse Enclave.

Procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries?

$7 BILLION FOR FINANCING 15 PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS.

$172.84 MILLION FOR UNMIT

13 June 2008

General Assembly

GA/AB/3858

Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York

Sixty-second General Assembly

Fifth Committee

51st Meeting (PM)

BUDGET COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS $7 BILLION FOR FINANCING 15 PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS, AS IT CONCLUDES SECOND RESUMED SESSION

Texts Also Address Peacekeeping Support Account, Procurement Reform, Recommendations on Changes to Contingent-Owned Equipment Reimbursement Rates

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) recommended an appropriation of almost $7.08 billion for the financing of United Nations peacekeeping, as it concluded its second resumed session this afternoon.

With the peacekeeping financing year running from 1 July to 30 June each year, the amounts to be approved for the maintenance of the Organization’s 15 active missions in 2008-2009 are as follows (including prorated shares of the support account and the United Nations Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy):
...

-- $180.84 million for the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT);
...

The Committee recommended approval of support account requirements for 2008-2009 in the amount of $273.92 million, including 1,122 continuing and 98 new temporary posts. The total amount for the United Nations Logistics Base would amount to $45.77 million.

By the terms of a draft resolution on the support account, the Assembly would reaffirm the need for adequate funding for the backstopping of peacekeeping, as well as the need for justification for that funding. It would also request the Secretary-General to ensure a clear chain of command, accountability, coordination and an adequate system of checks and balances, while also emphasizing the importance of interaction with troop-contributing countries.

In relation to the ongoing reform of United Nations peacekeeping, the Assembly would request detailed information on mechanisms in place and measures taken to address the management challenges in connection with the new organizational structure of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and newly-established Department of Field Support, and the improvement that the new structure has brought about. The Assembly would also emphasize that ongoing management reforms must be fully taken into account when presenting additional proposals for reform and reaffirm that the support account funds shall be used for the sole purpose of backstopping and supporting peacekeeping operations at Headquarters.

By a separate draft, the Committee also addressed the issues of procurement reform, including procurement governance, internal controls, accountability, ethics, vendors, procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries, ensuring best value for money, awarding of contracts, competitive bidding process, sustainable procurement, delegation of authority, outsourcing, human resources management, enterprise resource planning and other matters.

The Assembly would reaffirm the need for the procurement system to be transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective, based on competitive bidding and fully reflecting the international character of the United Nations. It would note ongoing improvements made by the Secretary-General in procurement reform at Headquarters and in the field missions, while also noting with concernpossible weaknesses in the internal control environment, owing to the splitting of procurement responsibilities between the Department of Management, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support. The Secretary-General would be requested to take concrete steps in that regard and encouraged to further strengthen the internal control framework within the Procurement Division.
...

In connection with the financing of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor, the Committee approved a draft resolution (document A/C.5/62/L.37), recommending that the Assembly take note of the status of contributions to that Mission and the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor as at 31 March 2008, including the contributions outstanding in the amount of $10 million.

The Assembly would further decide that Member States that have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission would be credited their respective share of the net cash available in the Mission’s account in the amount of $3.85 million as at 30 April 2008, from the unencumbered balance and other income in the amount of about $31.84 million in respect of the financial period ended 30 June 2006. Those States would be encouraged to apply those credits to any account where they have outstanding assessments. The credits of those Member States that have not fulfilled their financial obligations to the Mission would be set off against their outstanding dues.

Prior to action on that draft text, Controller WARREN SACH said that, should the Assembly adopt the draft, the Secretariat would adjust the amount of Member States’ respective share of credits for the period ended 20 June 2006. Those shares had been previously approved in resolution 61/282 and the Secretariat would inform Member States individually of the impact of those adjustments on the amount of their outstanding assessments for the Mission where applicable. The adjustment would supersede actions taken earlier in respect of the disposition of credits and would be reflected in the status of contributions schedule and financial statements of the Mission for the period ending 30 June 2008.

Also without a vote, the Committee approved a draft resolution on the financing of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (document A/C.5/62/L.43), by which the General Assembly would take note of the status of contributions to that Mission as at 31 March 2008, including the outstanding contributions in the amount of $61.3 million, and the fact that only 76 Member States had paid their assessed contributions in full.

The Assembly would then decide to appropriate $16.44 million to the Special Account for the Mission for its maintenance for the period 2007-2008, in addition to the $160.6 million already appropriated for the same period under the terms of its resolution 61/249 C.

The Assembly would decide to appropriate $172.84 for the maintenance of the Mission [UNMIT] for the period 2008-2009.

Monday 16 June 2008

Feature 3: Mobile Veteranary Clinic

Have a sick or ailing animal on your hands?

In the past few weeks PDT business surveyors made a discovery.

They found a Dili based Mobile Veteranary Clinic.

It is run by an Antoninho Carmo from Com, Lautem. Carmo is Indonesian educated and Australian trained. He is a qualified vet, uses certified drugs, equipment and on top of it all is a genuinely nice man.

You can call or SMS him on mobile +670 723 3792. You can also view his details online at http://www.buy-in-timor.org/index.php?op=main&sop=DisplayCompany&compid=4717&lastcat=0

Sunday 15 June 2008

To support Timorese economy, UN mission aims to increase local purchasing

UN News Centre

To support Timorese economy, UN mission aims to increase local purchasing

12 June 2008 – The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) is aiming to increase its support for long-term economic recovery in the fledgling nation by increasing purchasing of goods and services available in the country.

The Mission is supporting the Buy Local: Build Timor-Leste campaign by encouraging its staff members to spend their money locally in support of businesses in their communities. The campaign is an initiative of the Peace Dividend Trust, following a study by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in 2005 that found that increasing peacekeeping and partners’ expenditure in post-conflict States has a positive effect on local economies by creating employment and building the private sector capacity.

The Mission itself is also purchasing locally where possible and is working to assist local businesses meet the standards and procedures required to bid for UNMIT contracts. Atul Khare, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Timor-Leste and head of UNMIT, urged everyone at the Mission to buy locally and increase support to local businesses.

"The stimulation of the private sector is essential for the socio-economic growth of Timor-Leste and we support the initiatives of the Peace Dividend Trust," he said.

The Peace Dividend Trust is now working in two countries – Timor-Leste and Afghanistan – and is looking to increase its presence in other countries where there are UN peacekeeping operations.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27004&Cr=timor&Cr1=

Upcoming Expos

REGISTRATION CALL FOR TRADE EXPOS
KONTAKTU REJISTRASAUN BA EKSPO NEGOSIU

Iha kraik nee mak detalhu ba Ekspo negosiu rua nebe planu tiha ona ba Junhu no Julhu, no aneksu mak konvite atu rejistu ba eksebisaun nain sira, iha Tetum no Ingles. Eksebisaun nain sira tenke hatama aplikasaun ba organijador atu hetan formulariu rejistrasaun ida nunee ita bele asegura katak sira ninia detalhu tama tiha ona iha base de dadus Peace Dividend Trust www.buildingmarkets.org.

Below are details of two trade expos planned for June & July, and attached are invitations to register for exhibitors, in Tetun and English. Exhibitors must apply to the organizers for a registration form so that we can ensure their details are entered into the Peace Dividend Trust www.buildingmarkets.org database.

Favor fahe ba kompanhia komersial/komunidade/individual relevante nebe ita iha kontaktu ho sira no nebe ita hanoin sira hakarak atu partisipa. Se ita ninia ajensia ajuda projeitu balun nebe fo benefisiu ba ekspo nee, sei konsidera iha agrupamentu ba sira iha fatin nebe fahe tiha ona iha spanduk ita ninia ajensia nia okos.

Please forward to any relevant commercial / community / individual enterprises you are in contact with and that you think would want to participate. If your agency assists a number of projects that would benefit from this exposure, consider grouping them into a shared space under your agency's banner.

Iha ikus liu husi email nee mak deskripsaun badak kona objetivu husi ekspo nee. Ami haksolok atu simu komentariu no sujestaun tomak. Se ita bot ninia ajensia iha interese atu fo kontribuisaun ba maneja eventu, ka seminariu/workshop/ klase spesialijasaun ba partisipante, ida nee ami sei simu liu tan!.

Also attached to this email is a brief description of the objectives behind these expos. All comments and suggestions are gratefully received. If your agency would be interested in contributing to the organisation of events, or to seminars / workshops / master classes for participants, this is even more welcome!

Iha tempu hanesan, favor fo suporta pesoal ba ekspo negosiu nee tuir maneira nebe ita bele no ajuda ami atu promove negosiu komersial iha Timor, komunidade kompanhia sustentavel, no hasae numeru individu kompanhia iha nasaun tomak.

In the meantime, please personally support these trade expos in any way you can and help us promote Timorese-based commercial businesses, sustainable community enterprises, and the growing number of individual entrepreneurs throughout the country.

Obrigadu barak!

Many thanks!

(Nota: Ekspo Negosiu mos planeia tiha ona ba fulan Augustu, Outubru & Dezembru).

(Note: Trade Expos are also planned for August, October & December).

DATA BA ITA NINIA DIARIU / DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

FRIDAY JUNE 27TH – SUNDAY JUNE 29TH 2008 AT MERCADO LAMA, DILI

SESTA 27 JUNHU DOMINGO 29 JUNHU 2008 IHA MERKADU LAMA, DILI

Home & Garden Expo!

Including indoor and outdoor furniture & furnishing accessories / original Timorese artworks and handcrafts / must-have DIY hardware tools & materials / pagodas, plants, pots and potting compost / gifts for you, your friends and your family

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Noon / 12pm, Wednesday, June 25th

Ekspo Uma Laran no Jardin!

Inklui sasan uma laran ka liur & sasan asesoria/ produtu arte no produtu liman rasik / material no sasan hardware DIY & pagoda, planta, vaju no fatin tau kompos / prejente ba ita bot, ita ninia kolega no ita ninia familia

DATA TAKA REJISTRASAUN: 12pm / lorokraik, Kuarta, 25 Junho
THURSDAY JULY 24th – SATURDAY JULY 26Th 2008 AT MERCADO LAMA, DILI
KINTA 24 JULHO SABADU 26 JULHO 2008 IHA MERKADU LAMA, DILI

Grow Expo!

Timor-Leste's First Comprehensive Agribusiness Trade Show

Including fresh produce & processed products from throughout Timor-Leste / tools, machinery & materials suppliers / innovations & regional trends in the marketplace / sustainable alternative technologies / family and community horticultural projects

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Noon / 12pm, Tuesday, July 22nd

Ekspo Buras!
Feira Negosiu Agribisnis Komprehensivu ba dala uluk iha Timor-Leste
Inklui produtu fresku & produtu tasak husi Timor laran tomak/ sasan, makina & fornesedor material / modelu inovativu no rejional iha merkadoria / teknolojia alternative sustentavel / familia no projeitu komunidade hortikultural

TAKA REJISTRASAUN: 12pm / lorokraik, 22 Julhu

UNMIT Endorses Buy Local. Build Timor-Leste.


Saturday 14 June 2008

Profiting from peace in East Timor.

By Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Dili

Lily's wide, gentle face crumples when I ask her why she is doing it.

Sitting outside the corrugated tin walls of her temporary home, she holds my gaze as she wipes away tears, and explains that she wants her children to have a better life than the one they have now.

She wants them to have qualifications, she says, to sleep easy at night.

Two things can keep you awake at night in East Timor.

One is the threat of instability. The other is money.

Lily and her husband Ozario are not the poorest here. Ozario makes almost $300 (£154) a month.

But that is not enough to send their children to university, and so they are renting their family home to foreign aid workers.

It gives them an income of $1,350 a month, more than four times Ozario's salary.

It is just as well. Ozario estimates a university education will cost around $5,000 per child - and the couple have seven of them.

"I started the agency because I want the money to go to the community"
Carlito Alves Estate agent

Lily and Ozario may not realise it, but they are part of a growing experiment here in Dili, to channel international dollars into the local economy.

One of those conducting this experiment is the man who found the couple their latest tenants, Carlito Alves.

Carlito is Dili's first ever estate agent.

He runs his business from a sparse lock-up in one of the city's hushed and dusty streets.

There is an expectant feel to the area. New entrepreneurs are tiptoeing cautiously into a post-conflict landscape.

Carlito proudly showed me round his office.

"I started the agency because I want the money to go to the community," he told me.

"All the houses I show belong to local Timorese owners. Before, no-one knew how to get the money in, but I'm a Timorese and I want the money to go to the community."



Every year, $850m is spent on East Timor every year. Very little is spent in East Timor
Edward Rees, Peace Dividend Trust

Carlito's customers are East Timor's international aid workers, peacekeepers and ambassadors.

Some of them, he said, had been living for months in foreign-owned hotels.

He told me stories of how he would call them up, and persuade them to move to Timorese-owned property.

'Peace dividend'

Capturing the dollars of international staff is one thing, but what about the organisations they work for?

In a cool, sprawling house in another part of the capital, Edward Rees is thinking about exactly that.

"Every year, $850m is spent on East Timor," he told me.

"Very little is spent in East Timor."

Edward Rees runs the Peace Dividend Trust, a project set up six months ago, to pair the needs of major international buyers like the UN with local Timorese suppliers.

So far, the trust estimates it has channelled $3.5m into the Timorese economy, mainly from international aid agencies.

But getting the UN mission on board, it says, is proving difficult.

The problem, says Mr Rees, is that the procurement systems used here in Dili are set by people in New York, who are not necessarily thinking about the best way to procure in a peacekeeping environment.

"They're thinking about the best way to procure in Geneva or Nairobi," he explained, "not in Dili, or Khartoum, or Port-au-Prince."

The Peace Dividend Trust grew out of a UN peacekeeping report into the economic impact of its missions in post-conflict countries.

The research found that only a tiny fraction of those budgets was spent locally.

And that putting more money into the local economy could potentially leave countries better off, even after peacekeepers withdrew.

The UN mission here in Dili currently has a budget of $150 million a year.

Practical limitations

Around 6% of that is spent directly on local companies, which is an improvement on a few years ago.

The UN chief of procurement in Dili, Hugh Price, admits that more could probably be done, but he says there are limits on how practical and how wise spending locally is.

"Peacekeeping missions are primarily designed to be a stand-alone operation"
Hugh Price, UN chief of procurement, Dili

First of all, the money issue: "It is cheaper for the taxpayers who pay for the UN to have generic systems contracts for things like computers, spare tyres, office furniture," he told me.

"So we'll turn to the local economy when those things are either not available or when we have an urgent need to pick it up."

But Mr Price says there is also a security issue.

"Peacekeeping missions are primarily designed to be a stand-alone operation, because you're operating in what are often volatile environments.

"So you're not going to have yourself exposed by having all your stuff sourced and maintained locally, because if that is not available, then you have a problem."

But down the road at Camp Phoenix - home of the international forces here - they see things differently.

Jobs and peace

Commanding Officer Wade Stothart says that Timorese companies are considered before foreign ones for every contract that is signed.

That does perhaps make it more expensive, he said, but it pays off in other ways.

"You could potentially make some savings to the defence operation here," he told me.

"But from a whole national perspective, in terms of improving East Timor and improving its security, we still think it's money well spent.

"We could be doing things cheaper, but overall it's having a difficult to quantify but very positive effect."

Jobs and peace often go together.

A healthy economy gives people good reasons to avoid disruption, and gives bored - often frustrated - young men something to do.

According to the World Bank, some 15,000 young people enter East Timor's job market every year. Only 400 will find jobs.

Leaving the rest with nothing to do could be a very expensive decision indeed.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7450121.stm



Published: 2008/06/14 00:17:39 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

Thursday 12 June 2008

Feature 2: The Masterlink Motors Motortruck

Timor-Leste is a poor country but most goods and services are quite expensive. Finding the right kind of transport is a very tough nut to crack for many businesses. Getting goods to the market at a price which is competitive is a very good example of where businesses and farmers struggle to cover costs at a profit. These new motortrucks might be a solution for some in some circumstances: the Motortruck.

The featured business is Masterlink Motors in Audian Dili. For a full profile of the business see its profile on the Timor-Leste Online Procurement Database http://www.buy-in-timor.org/index.php?op=main&sop=DisplayCompany&compid=3866&lastcat=0

Tuesday 10 June 2008

UNMIT Goes Local.

Did you know that UNMIT's 2007-2008 budget was approximately 170 million USD in 2007-2008? Are you interested in finding out how they spend some of that money? To see the Acquisition Plan view the website at http://www.un.org/Depts/ptd/2008_unmit.htm.


Even more interestingly one can view a record of UNMIT purchase orders and contracts on the United Nations Procurement Division website at http://www.un.org/Depts/ptd/award_po_field.htm.


It makes interesting reading for people interested in how much "goes local".

Monday 9 June 2008

$3.5 million: Tender Distribution Point

On 8 January 2008 Peace Dividend Trust opened its Tender Distribution Point (TDP) within its offices in Balide, Dili. For the relevant earlier blog entry see

Information about tenders are currently distributed via four methods.

1) Businesses visit the TDP;
2) PDT emails tenders to businesses;
3) PDT sends SMS notifications to businesses; and
4) PDT uses its presence in the Districts to further disseminate.

As of 1 June 2008 Peace Dividend Trust is pleased to announce that it has
  • distributed approximately 103 tenders
  • to over 850 businesses (many are repeat clients)
  • on behalf of 30 international organisations (including but limited to IOM, UNDP, ARD, USAID, Concern, Plan International, GTZ, Worldbank, ENI Spa, UNHCR, and Oxfam)
The TDP is designed to stimulate business activity in Timor-Leste by

1) acting as a transparent clearing house for tenders
2) accelerating the tendering process
3) and pushing tenders to businesses in Dili and the Districts which would ordinarly not have access to the relevant information

As of the 1 June 2008, PDT has obtained final transaction information on 20 of the above 103 tenders. The transactions have a value of $677 537.47 USD. PDT makes a prorated estimate that the total amount directed towards the Timorese economy could exceed $3 500 000 USD in less than 6 months of activity.
For more information on the TDP please contact Eduardo Da Costa on +670 735 2854 or via +670 332 2823 and tdp-timor@peacedividendtrust.org

Wednesday 4 June 2008

In the Districts - $300 000 of results.

In February 2008 Peace Dividend Trust commenced piloting a new approach towards economic development in the rural areas of Timor-Leste. This is being conducted through the Micro Matchnmaking (M3) component of the PDT Marketplace Project (http://www.peacedividendmarketplace.tl/) funded by AusAID.

Micromatchmaking activities are based upon connecting international individual and institutional buyers with domestic suppliers at the district level in Lautem, Baucau, Ainaro, Cova Lima, Bobonaro and Oecusse. Micromatchmaking staff in these districts introduce the service to buyers and suppliers via introductions presentations and consultations.

Their role is to act as information brokers. A contexutally relevant term in Tetun would be estefeta - messagers of information from one group to another, or matadalan - a guide. If you want to buy a good or service in the above mentioned districts - or even neighbouring districts call your PDT Micromtchmaker. They will show the way to buying locally.

Since February 2008 PDT micromatchmakers have processed over 375 requests from potential buyers. This means that on 375 occasions international staff or organisations have asked PDT to assist them in sourcing something in the district in which they operate. Of these requests PDT has been able to source 361 of the requested items or services, or 96% of the total.

Of these 361 completed requests PDT has obtained final transaction information on 209 requests. The total cash transactions are $150K . PDT makes a prorated estimate that the total amount directed towards local economies in the poorest parts of Timor-Leste exceed $300k in less that 4 months of activity. These are measurable activities with measurable results in parts of Timor-Leste where getting results are most important.

Case Study Bobonaro

In April 2008 a Malaysian UNPOL officer serving in Maliana asked PDT M3 staff Adriana Ximenes and Domingas dos Santos if it was possible to obtain halal chicken in Maliana as he was not been able to find any. Up until this stage he had been restricted in what he could purchase locally. PDT staff surveyed the domestic market and upon explaining the situation to the director of the Restaurant Maliana they were able to make a match. Seeking to take advantage of a unforeseen demand Restaurant Maliana was able to obtain halal (ayam potong) chicken in bulk for the UNPOL officer in question. He will now purchase halal chicken in bulk to the tune of $975 for the year that he serves in Bobonaro.

While appearing a small transaction $975 in Bobonaro is actually a significant amount of money. Multiplied thousands of times over it can play a critical role in creating jobs, driving the economy and building private sector capacity in places where it matters most in Timor Leste.

For more information on how to buy in the Districts contact Ilidio Ximenes da Costa PDT Micro-matchmaking Associate in Dili on iximenes@peace dividendtrust.org on by phone on +670 723 3335.