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DNDLOT Director Presents on Decentralization in Seoul, Korea

On the 14th and 15th October 2008 in South Korea, the National Director of Local Development and Territorial Management, Mr. Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, presented the Timor-Leste State Report on, “Decentralization Reforms to Improve Service Delivery,†at the Multi-Country Study Mission on Public Governance, which has participation from 16 Asia-Pacific Nations.

During his remarks, the Director explained the organization of the Timor-Leste state at the national and local levels. Mr. de Carvalho explained that the Local Government and decentralization reforms in Timor-Leste are an important change to the structure of the state, which can eventually lead to the strengthening of institutions and also help government work closer with the community. All of these reforms will help improve service delivery within the nation.

Many questions and suggestions were raised by the participants after the Director’s presentation.

“I believe that the democratization process in Timor-Leste is going well, but you should also keep in mind the experience of other nations that show that democracy should follow regulations,†said the Indonesian participant, Mr. Anwar Sanusi.

The moderator of the workshop from South Korea, Professor Jae MOON, said he appreciated the reforms that Timor-Leste is doing, even as Timor-Leste is a new nation. “The transformation of a government from a centralized organization to one centered on the community is something that is very important to improve service delivery to the community,†said Professor MOON.

In the presentation about the state reform measures, Director de Carvalho, together with participants from 16 countries, agreed to share experiences even after the concussion of the study mission through personal contacts.

‘To me, as an organization that has just begun, we need to study developed nations and nations that are still in the stages of development so that they can become references for our development,†said the DNDLOT Director.

The Multi-Country Study Mission was organized by the OECD/Korea Policy Centre, that each year invites participants from Timor-Leste to discuss with other nations about service delivery with an international community of public servants.