Training Sessions Focus on Torture Prevention
As part of its USAID-funded "Survivors of Torture" program, the International Catholic Migration Commission recently helped government officials and human rights specialists gain a fuller understanding of the UN Convention against Torture, signed and ratified by the Timor-Leste government. Participants focused on four basic tasks to support implementation of the convention: the need to criminalize torture in Timor-Leste's laws, the need for awareness session for all sectors of the community, the need to bring a wide range of stakeholders together to combat torture, and the need for training for institutions that have the potential to use torture, e.g., police, prison staff, or members of political parties. (April 4, 2006)

USAID Provides Quick Support After Damaging Floods
USAID has mobilized rapid support for residents of Timor-Leste's Oecusse District after homes and farms were hit by severe flooding. A USAID grant to the Ministry of Labor and Community Reinsertion is bringing building materials and flood-control technology to the worst-hit area. The grant will help rebuild destroyed homes and line the bank of a major river with gabions (large wire baskets filled with stones) to protect residents from future flooding. To maximize the value of the USAID grant and other donor funds, the ministry will organize the project and cover labor and transport costs. (April 4, 2006)

Livestock Officers Begin New Avian Influenza Test Regime
District livestock officers from Timor-Leste's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries have begun testing for avian influenza in areas of the country considered at highest risk, including lakes where migrating birds congregate and the border with Indonesia where cross-border poultry trade takes place. The livestock officers are using special test kits and protective equipment supplied by USAID to get a rapid reading on the presence of generic avian influenza. If a test is positive, the swab can be sent to a specialist laboratory in Australia to determine if the disease is the H5N1 strain or another, less virulent form. So far, all of the tests done by the livestock officers have been negative. (April 4, 2006)

 

Printer Friendly Version