PN-BESI-TL & Partners organized municipal dialogue WASH as human rights in Ermera municipality

The municipal level dialogue aimed to share the WASH as human rights information and share lessons learnt from community score card implementation to the WASH stakeholders in in municipal, post administrative, villages, including the civil society organisations. At the same time to improve their understanding on the WASH issues and support the policies development and decision making on the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene sector in Ermera municipality.

Information sharing session on WASH as human rights was delivered by the Vice-Director of HAK Association together with the legal instruments conforming WASH as human rights. It was followed by the Senior Partnership and Advocacy Officer of WaterAid Timor-Leste who presented the Community Score Card instruments and its implementations. This session was strengthened by the lessons learnt shared by the Directors of SMASA Liquiçá and Manufahi and the Chief of Village of Loidahar who talked about stories of changes and the lessons learnt from the CSC utilization.

The president of PN-BESI-TL, Ms. Esmenia on her intervention said that PN-BESI-TL and its members cooperates with the national and international partners including the Government through the Cabinet of supporting Civil Society under the Vice-Prime Minister of Timor-Leste to conduct the programs and interventions in all the territory of Timor-Leste. These implementing programs aiming to strengthen the advocacy in water, sanitation, and hygiene sector that integrates gender equality, disability, and social inclusion and climate changes aspects in Timor-Leste.

She added that, access to clean, adequate, and inclusive water, sanitation, and hygiene is a vital element to the development. However, our actual condition shows that water, sanitation, and hygiene remain a problem particularly in public facilities such as school, healthcare facilities, local market, and tourism spots.

Ms. Livia da Cruz as representative of the WATL Country Director in her opening remarks introduced WaterAid as an international non-governmental organization that supported by the Australian people, and WaterAid’s presence in Timor-Leste is almost 20 years. During these time, WATL has been working in Liquiçá and Manufahi municipalities with major focus on the water, sanitation, and hygiene and lately been integrating climate change and GEDSI aspect into all the WASH interventions. Majority of WaterAid approaches is on the sector strengthening and advocacy supports whereby WATL mainly dealing with the PN-BESI-TL and HAK Association as the implementing partners. WATL also previously worked with RHTO (DPO) on the inclusive WASH access to not leave anyone behind. Finally, she explained that WaterAid Timor-Leste’s cooperation with the implementing partners has conducted community discussions about their aspirations, and access to the WASH facilities using the community score card tools and mechanism.

In this occasion, the Director supporting the NGOs and Community Organisations as the representative of the Ermera’s President of Authority on his opening speech said that “No water, no life, therefore water is a determinant factor to people ‘s life”. Having said that, collective work and cooperation from all the entities will be crucial to achieve the well-being of the people in Ermera through WASH program. He also encourages everyone and civil society to continue the socialization programs to the community.

The central of this workshop is the WASH as human rights information sharing and the lessons learnt of CSC delivered by the Directors of SMASA Liquiçá and Manufahi and the Chief of Village of Loidahar.

Participant of this workshop coming from the municipal government, civil society organisations in Ermera, INGOS, and the students.  

This activity is supported by the Australian Government through Water for Women and implemented by WaterAid Timor-Leste and its implementing partners PNBESITL, GFFTL and HAK Association.