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  Community Leaders Hear Details of Land Law and Labor Code (June 4, 2004)
 
 

Two recent workshops hosted by the University of San Francisco helped community leaders, representatives of civil society organizations, and students better understand East Timor's new land law and labor code.

The workshop on the new land law targeted village heads (chefe de suco), members of councils of elders, and subdistrict administrators. After nearly five centuries of foreign occupation, East Timor has a complicated mix of land tenure claims. Local leaders are the ones most likely to engage in dispute resolution of conflicting claims.

 
 


Jose da C. da Costa, director of the East Timor
Confederations of Unions, explains labor dispute resolution mechanisms at a recent workshop on East Timor's labor code.

Photo by Warren Wright, University of San Francisco

 


Speakers at the workshop included a member of Parliament, an advisor to the Public Defender's Office, and the head of the National Directorate of Land and Property (DLP), the government office responsible for land matters. Much of the discussion focused on the important role played by the DLP in mediating land disputes.

In the second workshop, a Timorese union representative, a member of Parliament, and a representative from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) presented sessions on labor dispute resolution mechanisms, ILO conventions on women workers, and basic workers' rights and workplace safety.

At both sessions, the question and answer periods generated lively discussions. Participants praised the workshop organizers for providing detailed information on government laws and policies, and on dispute resolution mechanisms, noting that this was the first time such information had been presented to them. Participants at the land law workshop requested additional workshops at the community level to help them disseminate the information.

USAID supports the University of San Francisco's community legal education workshops through its partnership with The Asia Foundation's Access to Justice Program. The workshops improve citizens' knowledge of East Timor's laws and its justice system and improve access to viable dispute resolution mechanisms.



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