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BY JOSÉ KAI LEKKE SOUSA-SANTOS
The Presidential Advisory and Coordination Office on High-Risk Youth would fill a critical niche within the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL) by addressing the needs of the disenfranchised and vulnerable youth demographic.
BY JOSÉ KAI LEKKE SOUSA-SANTOS
The Presidential Advisory and Coordination Office on High-Risk Youth would fill a critical niche within the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (RDTL) by addressing the needs of the disenfranchised and vulnerable youth demographic.
While a number of key initiatives have been undertaken by RDTL, bilateral partners, international development agencies and UN agencies to mitigate the youth crisis, this critical demographic remains marginalised within the broader conflict mitigation and peacebuilding processes.
Background to the Youth Crisis
A fundamental challenge facing Timor-Leste lies in engaging and reintegrating the disenfranchised and vulnerable youth demographic increasingly involved in low-level violence and criminality. It is well recognised that highly-traumatized youths in post-conflict contexts are at considerable risk of recruitment and exploitation by transnational criminal syndicates, political entities and commercial elites. This combination of negative influences will only serve to exacerbate the existing youth crisis in Timor-Leste and ultimately will cast a dark shadow over the nation’s future stability and prosperity.
The emergence of a nascent drug culture amongst the youth demographic illustrates the risks and consequences of inaction. Direct high-level intervention is necessary to address both the increasing stranglehold gang culture has on the youth (approximately one hundred and fifty thousand youths are members of, or directly/indirectly support one of the main MAGs/RAGs, equalling approximately one fifth of the population), and the new influences on the streets which will prove to compound, further isolate and damage the youth demographic.
Objectives of the Office on High-Risk Youth
The creation of an office with the principle objective of addressing the stabilisation and reintegration of Timor Leste’s disenfranchised youth, (43% of Timor Leste’s population is under the age of seventeen making this the largest demographic group in the country), would fill a critical niche. Moreover, youth issues are societal issues and the Office on High-Risk Youth will by extension address issues of insecurity affecting the community at large. The Office on High-Risk Youth would serve as an apolitical conflict prevention and recovery mechanism targeting the male and female youth population.
By addressing this often neglected issue, Timor-Leste would thus be able to transform one of the greatest threats to its internal stability and future development into its greatest socio-economic strength. The office would take the lead in initiating and coordinating measures to prevent further destabilisation through the identification of potential conflict and exploitation and to alleviate the impact of the current crisis on the population of traumatised and vulnerable youth and the communities in which they reside.
The Office would be established within the Office of the President. The rationale for situating the Office within the Office of the President is twofold: first, placing the Office under the directive of the Office of the President promotes the development of bipartisan and apolitical policies and programs furthermore the youth demographic require a truly neutral uniting organization in Timor-Leste. Second, it would build on and utilizes the institutional memory from earlier initiatives developed by the President during his 2006 term as Prime Minister.
The Office on High-Risk Youth would be directly responsible and accountable to the President and integrated, where appropriate, into existing and future programs initiated by the President.
Role of the Office on High-Risk Youth
The Office on High-Risk Youth would be responsible for the following:
Coordination and implementation of conciliatory dialogue and confidence-building measures between martial arts groups, ritual arts groups and high risk youth.
Building on previous initiatives such as reinstating and leading the high-level gang task force, including representatives from relevant government ministries, ISF, UNMIT, UNPOL, PNTL, F-FDTL and relevant (I)NGOs, to ensure that international and domestic security forces as well as key interlocutors are fully informed of security matters and peacebuilding initiatives.
The Office would provide a forum in which leading protagonists can discuss coordinated strategies in regards to high risk youth as well as facilitating meetings between MAG/RAG leadership and members of the security forces in a neutral environment with a view to resolving MAG/RAG conflict through mediation mechanisms led by the Office.
The Office on High-Risk Youth would provide regular debriefs to the President, a comprehensive weekly report incorporating short, mid and long term analyses as well as updated geographical mapping of MAGs/RAGs to the President. The Office would have a research capacity and produce special reports/papers on a range of related issues upon the request of the President.
The engagement of IDP youths through specifically-targeted programs and initiatives which recognise the uniqueness of their situation, ranging from inter-communal dialogue, conflict resolution training, trauma counselling, community-based work schemes, vocational guidance, as well as assistance and facilitation of Government and NGO youth-related programs.
The engagement of high-risk youth throughout Dili and the districts through specifically-targeted programs and initiatives ranging from inter-communal dialogue, conflict resolution training, trauma counselling, community-based work schemes, vocational guidance, as well as assistance and facilitation of Government and NGO youth-related programs.
Assisting and facilitating peacebuilding and dialogue initiatives between youths from communities in conflict.
Research and development of long-term peacebuilding, capacity-building strategies.
The provision of strategic policy assessments to the President relating to youth-instigated violence and all other issues affecting youth, and as a consequence, the wider community.
The creation and coordination of initiatives addressing the high risk-youths lack of national identity, lack of Timorese cultural and historical knowledge and lack of respect and understanding of traditional Timorese power structures. By engaging the elder generation in the stabilization initiative, bridging the gap between the youth and the elders who hold Timor-Lestes cultural and historic knowledge within their memories.
The creation and maintenance of a secure database of all legitimate martial arts and ritual arts groups and their members to provide a clear mapping of martial arts and ritual arts groups. This also assists in differentiating between official members of law abiding registered cultural/sports youth groups and illegal or criminal youth groups..
The Office would work in close conjunction with the Secretariat of State for Youth and Sports, the Ministry for Social Solidarity and the Secretariat for Vocational Training to ensure that all activities under the Office on High-Risk Youth are complementary to the activities across government and, where appropriate, collaborative.
Coordination of all youth-related peacebuilding activities and projects implemented by NGOs and other relevant agencies. This would ensure that activities are participatory, complementary, context-appropriate, not duplicated and sustainable and compliment the Secretariat of State for Youth and Sport’s youth policy.
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Background to the Youth Crisis
A fundamental challenge facing Timor-Leste lies in engaging and reintegrating the disenfranchised and vulnerable youth demographic increasingly involved in low-level violence and criminality. It is well recognised that highly-traumatized youths in post-conflict contexts are at considerable risk of recruitment and exploitation by transnational criminal syndicates, political entities and commercial elites. This combination of negative influences will only serve to exacerbate the existing youth crisis in Timor-Leste and ultimately will cast a dark shadow over the nation’s future stability and prosperity.
The emergence of a nascent drug culture amongst the youth demographic illustrates the risks and consequences of inaction. Direct high-level intervention is necessary to address both the increasing stranglehold gang culture has on the youth (approximately one hundred and fifty thousand youths are members of, or directly/indirectly support one of the main MAGs/RAGs, equalling approximately one fifth of the population), and the new influences on the streets which will prove to compound, further isolate and damage the youth demographic.
Objectives of the Office on High-Risk Youth
The creation of an office with the principle objective of addressing the stabilisation and reintegration of Timor Leste’s disenfranchised youth, (43% of Timor Leste’s population is under the age of seventeen making this the largest demographic group in the country), would fill a critical niche. Moreover, youth issues are societal issues and the Office on High-Risk Youth will by extension address issues of insecurity affecting the community at large. The Office on High-Risk Youth would serve as an apolitical conflict prevention and recovery mechanism targeting the male and female youth population.
By addressing this often neglected issue, Timor-Leste would thus be able to transform one of the greatest threats to its internal stability and future development into its greatest socio-economic strength. The office would take the lead in initiating and coordinating measures to prevent further destabilisation through the identification of potential conflict and exploitation and to alleviate the impact of the current crisis on the population of traumatised and vulnerable youth and the communities in which they reside.
The Office would be established within the Office of the President. The rationale for situating the Office within the Office of the President is twofold: first, placing the Office under the directive of the Office of the President promotes the development of bipartisan and apolitical policies and programs furthermore the youth demographic require a truly neutral uniting organization in Timor-Leste. Second, it would build on and utilizes the institutional memory from earlier initiatives developed by the President during his 2006 term as Prime Minister.
The Office on High-Risk Youth would be directly responsible and accountable to the President and integrated, where appropriate, into existing and future programs initiated by the President.
Role of the Office on High-Risk Youth
The Office on High-Risk Youth would be responsible for the following:
Coordination and implementation of conciliatory dialogue and confidence-building measures between martial arts groups, ritual arts groups and high risk youth.
Building on previous initiatives such as reinstating and leading the high-level gang task force, including representatives from relevant government ministries, ISF, UNMIT, UNPOL, PNTL, F-FDTL and relevant (I)NGOs, to ensure that international and domestic security forces as well as key interlocutors are fully informed of security matters and peacebuilding initiatives.
The Office would provide a forum in which leading protagonists can discuss coordinated strategies in regards to high risk youth as well as facilitating meetings between MAG/RAG leadership and members of the security forces in a neutral environment with a view to resolving MAG/RAG conflict through mediation mechanisms led by the Office.
The Office on High-Risk Youth would provide regular debriefs to the President, a comprehensive weekly report incorporating short, mid and long term analyses as well as updated geographical mapping of MAGs/RAGs to the President. The Office would have a research capacity and produce special reports/papers on a range of related issues upon the request of the President.
The engagement of IDP youths through specifically-targeted programs and initiatives which recognise the uniqueness of their situation, ranging from inter-communal dialogue, conflict resolution training, trauma counselling, community-based work schemes, vocational guidance, as well as assistance and facilitation of Government and NGO youth-related programs.
The engagement of high-risk youth throughout Dili and the districts through specifically-targeted programs and initiatives ranging from inter-communal dialogue, conflict resolution training, trauma counselling, community-based work schemes, vocational guidance, as well as assistance and facilitation of Government and NGO youth-related programs.
Assisting and facilitating peacebuilding and dialogue initiatives between youths from communities in conflict.
Research and development of long-term peacebuilding, capacity-building strategies.
The provision of strategic policy assessments to the President relating to youth-instigated violence and all other issues affecting youth, and as a consequence, the wider community.
The creation and coordination of initiatives addressing the high risk-youths lack of national identity, lack of Timorese cultural and historical knowledge and lack of respect and understanding of traditional Timorese power structures. By engaging the elder generation in the stabilization initiative, bridging the gap between the youth and the elders who hold Timor-Lestes cultural and historic knowledge within their memories.
The creation and maintenance of a secure database of all legitimate martial arts and ritual arts groups and their members to provide a clear mapping of martial arts and ritual arts groups. This also assists in differentiating between official members of law abiding registered cultural/sports youth groups and illegal or criminal youth groups..
The Office would work in close conjunction with the Secretariat of State for Youth and Sports, the Ministry for Social Solidarity and the Secretariat for Vocational Training to ensure that all activities under the Office on High-Risk Youth are complementary to the activities across government and, where appropriate, collaborative.
Coordination of all youth-related peacebuilding activities and projects implemented by NGOs and other relevant agencies. This would ensure that activities are participatory, complementary, context-appropriate, not duplicated and sustainable and compliment the Secretariat of State for Youth and Sport’s youth policy.
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1 comentários:
Another advisory body ?
Why not concentrate efforts on making the existing insitutions work, rather then dispersing too few human resources and funds ?
The state cant function on new ideas alone when the old ideas dont work.
Its like the laughable comment by the Prime Minister who reportedly expressed hope that last Tuesday's reflection on the so called KKN would yield a viable mechanism to fight corruption - another one ???...
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