UNMIT NEWSLETTER
Misaun Integradu Nasoins Unidas nian iha Timor-Leste
PNTL resumes primary policing responsibilities
in Manatuto
ceremony marking the resumption of
primary responsibilities for the con-
duct of police operations by Polícia
Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) in the
District of Manatuto. Manatuto is the
third district where the PNTL has re-
sumed primary policing responsibili-
ties since the process started in May
2009 in the district of Lautem. PNTL
resumed responsibility in Oecussi in
» UNMIT Photo/Martine Perret June.
Police Commissioner Luis Carrilho, PNTL Commander Longuinhos
Monteiru and SRSG Atul Khare.
Resumption of responsibility by PNTL
O
n 25 July, the Special Repre- is a gradual process, taking place dis-
sentative of the Secretary- trict by district, and later unit by unit,
General of the United Na- only after joint assessments conduct-
tions for Timor-Leste (SRSG) Atul ed by the UNMIT and the Govern-
Khare and Prime Minister Kay Rala ment. These joint assessments are
Xanana Gusmão presided over the conducted applying mutually agreed
An excess of sun solves Oecussi’s vaccine dilemma
Ministry of Health (MoH) and supported
by UNICEF, a project is underway to install
stand-alone, solar powered photovoltaic
refrigerator systems in all Community
Health Centres and Health Posts. Training
has also been given to staff on how to
operate and maintain the refrigerators.
This potentially life-saving equipment
consists of solar panel, batteries and
charge regulators with a vaccine storage
capacity of 37.5 litres. The equipment is
» UNMIT Photo/Hipolito da Cruz
Solar panel in Oecussi. powerful enough to maintain vaccines
at the correct temperature for five
consecutive days without any sunshine
V
ital vaccines must be kept cold at at all.
all times if they are to maintain
their full potency. For this reason, “This is part of UNICEF’s support to
health clinics need reliable refrigerators. the MoH’s National Immunization
However it is an almost impossible task Programme and restoration of the
to maintain refrigerators in most of the immunization structure and cold chain
country where electricity is scarce and er- system,” said UNICEF Health Specialist Yin
ratic. In the enclave of Oecussi, the abun- Yin Aung. “The goal is to reach at least 80
dance of sun has inspired a solar solution per cent immunization coverage of all
to this electricity problem. Led by the children under one with DTP-Hepatitis B,
www.unmit.unmission.org Not official document – for information only.
Núm 95
03 Agostu 2009
criteria to determine if PNTL in dis-
tricts are prepared to resume respon-
sibility. UN Police will maintain their
presence in the districts where the
PNTL have resumed responsibilities,
in order to monitor, advise and sup-
port the PNTL, including in the area
of human rights protection.
» UNMIT Photo/Martine Perret
PNTL officers at the resumption ceremony in Manatuto.
OPV, Measles and BCG vaccines Tetanus
Toxoid vaccines for pregnant women.”
A total of five solar-powered fridges
have been installed in Oecussi, one in
each sub-district plus one at the District
Health Department Office in the Oecussi
capital.
“The refrigerators are expected to have a
lifespan of 10 to 15 years and will make
it possible for us to provide children and
mothers with the immunizations they
need at the right time,” explained Lucia
Taeki, District Officer of the UNICEF-
sponsored Mother and Child Health
Programme. “We should be able to
reduce the mortality rate for these target
groups.”
UNICEF has been supporting the
Government-managed Expanded
Programme on Immunization since 2002.
To improve the lives of children and
women, UNICEF provides technical and
financial assistance to the MoH.
UNICEF gives essential medical supplies to MoH
U
NICEF has recently provided essen-
tial health and nutrition supplies
including drugs and nutrients, au-
toclaves, computers and motorbikes to
help strengthen the Maternal and Child
Health and Nutrition programme of the
Government. The supplies will assist
» UNMIT Photo/Sandra Magno
UN and PTNL officers planting trees in Ainaro District.
U
NMIT is one of 11 UN missions par-
ticipating in the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)
Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Cam-
paign. Led by Community Police officers
Viqueque PNTL police get trained in vital policing
techniques
C
ommunity members gathered
last week in front of the Viqueque
District Administration office to
witness a ceremony to mark the comple-
tion of task force training of PNTL officers
by UN Police. Twenty-five PNTL officers
from Viqueque District took part in the
two-week training. During the ceremony,
officers demonstrated their skills in using
tactics as well as how they applied force
in an appropriate manner – without using
excess force - if required to manage mass
disturbances.
One of the main aims of the training was
to show task force officers how to use force
as a last resort, to use it in a proportional
www.unmit.unmission.org
health workers reach and deliver services said UNICEF Representative Jan Kukita.
to remote areas as well as improving su-
The supplies were donated to UNICEF
pervision and monitoring of health activ-
ities. “There is a strong potential that chil- by the Government of Japan and Span-
dren and women’s health and nutrition
ish Agency for International Cooperation
can be improved if effective evidence-
based interventions are implemented” and Development.
Community police help reforest
Timor-Leste
from the UN and PNTL, more than 2,500 Community Police Team Leader Premalal
native trees have so far been planted in Liyanarachchi believes that not only did
the districts of Ainaro, Dili, Ermera, Liqui- the activity promote public awareness of
ca, Manatuto, Oecussi and Viqueque. Tree environmental issues, but that it “helped
species include tamarind, guava, mango, to foster positive public perceptions about
the role of community police.”
orange, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, bou-
gainvillea, mahogany and casuarina.
Riding on the success of the tree planting,
community police officers have pledged
“This is a lesson for everyone, and
to plant additional trees in Dili District.
especially for people in our village,” said Worldwide, more than 4 billion trees have
village leader Adelino de Araujo from so far been planted keeping UNEP on
Ainaro District. “The trees will protect us. track to reach its 7 billion target by the
They will give shade to people and help end of 2009.
avoid erosion.”
manner, and always in a manner which
respects human rights and the rule of
law. The officers were also training on
how to negotiate with uncooperative and
possibly violent perpetrators, how to stop
and detain car thieves or looters and how
to use handcuffs.
Viqueque District PNTL Commander
Justino Menezes explained that the
objective of the training was to improve
the capacity of the task force, and to
strengthen the ability of the task force to
serve and protect all community members.
The Viqueque District Administrator
Francisco da Silva was very pleased with
the training and said that it would serve
the district well ahead of upcoming village » UNMIT Photo/Jamie dos Ries
and municipal elections. PNTL officers getting task force training.
Not official document – for information only.