Securing Water And Food Resources In Timor-Leste: The Role Of The Sustainable Develop Goals – Analysis

The commitment and engagement by the former Prime Minister Araújo in the context of the SDGs and his support of the UNDP’s work in Timor-Leste have been commendable. The challenges remain, but the country can maintain its strong vision for peace, stability, justice and transparency: addressing the immense challenges that confront its people and government in the coming decades, and this includes water and food security.

These goals cannot be achieved without good governance, and this includes water governance from the grassroots level with a bottom-up approach while empowering females. Historically speaking, vague approaches to development including lack lustre water and sanitation provisions because of the the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be repeated in Timor-Leste. Adopted strategies that aligned states with the same ‘one glove fits all’ perspective while expecting the same results and outcomes is an ambitious notion to achieve without a framework for accountable, transparent participation, particularly in a post-conflict environment.