IPU and UN join hands to usher East Timor into statehood

From left to right: Prof. Machatine Munguambe, Mondlane University, Maputo (Mozambique); Mr. Colin Englin, Member of the Parliament of South Africa; Mr. Finn Reske-Nielsen, UNDP Resident Representative in East Timor; Mr. Francisco Guterres (Lu-Olo), Speaker of the Constituent Assembly; Mr. Joseph Maingot, Constitutional Consultant, Canada.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is providing technical assistance to the Constituent Assembly, at the request of UNTAET and in co-operation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), after the referendum organised by the United Nations on 30 August 1999.

The people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia, which had occupied the territory since 1976. Since the referendum, the territory has been administered by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), which has the task of preparing it for full independence.

An 88-member Constituent Assembly was elected on 30 August 2001 with a mandate to draft a new Constitution for an independent East Timor. This draft Constitution is expected to be ready by mid December 2001.

As part of its support, the IPU organised an Orientation Seminar on Constitutional Issues for the newly-elected members of the Assembly at the very beginning of its proceedings in September 2001. This seminar proved to be a useful forum for acquainting the members with the role, structure and working methods of a Constituent Assembly and Parliament. They had an opportunity to learn from similar experiences in constitution drafting with the assistance of resource persons from Canada, Mozambique and South Africa.

The IPU has also made available a team of 3 constitutional specialists from Canada, Cape Verde and Mozambique as well as a legal drafter from Portugal to provide advisory services to the Assembly and assist it in drafting the new Constitution, the legal framework that will govern East Timor as it attains statehood on 20 May 2002.

The IPU is also actively involved in helping the authorities of the Assembly establish the appropriate administrative structures that will be called upon to serve the future legislature and legislators of East Timor. This assistance also includes the training of parliamentary staff.