Agenda
Civil Society Consultation on VNR follow up and CSO’s Strengthening
Dili-Timor Leste – November 15

The workshop aims at discussion the SDGs implementation and monitoring in Timor Leste following its reporting during High Level Political Forum at New York, last July (2019). The workshop will also deliberate the process of voluntary national reporting process in the country and the engagement mechanism of various stakeholders including the civil society. Apart from this, the workshop will also attempt at discussing the status of Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development and its reporting mechanism and a way forwarrd. Lastly, the workshop will seek to assess the challenges faced by the CSOs’s in the country and ways to strengthening the national CSO network , FONGTIL.

We expect the participation of Civil society organizations who have been engaged in the SDGs process in the country and those who are working on various thematic issues apart from representation from the government and the UN institutions.
The workshop is being organized by Asia Development Alliance , a CSO Regional Platform in Asia with partnership from Forus, TAP Network, WFUNA with FONGTIL as a local host.

Brief Report

ADA Organized one day consultation on VNR follow up and CSO’s strengthening in Dili on November 15th at the FONGTIL office. The workshop was attended by about 30 CSOs from Timor Leste.

Jyotsna Mohan, ADA Coordinator explained the CSO’s engagement in the VNR process in Timor Leste, as the country presented it’s VNR in July, 2019 during the High Level Political Forum in New York.  The discussion was also held around theme of Goal 16 and the issue of inclusive participation, peace and justice. Further, the role of CSO coalition as a voice of solidarity was also discussed and how the CSO could gather together as a single voice through FONGTIL. Later, during the workshop session, the participants were divided three groups to address the following questions:



• CSO’s experience in the VNR this year?
o The Government formed the SDG working group in the line ministry with all the stakeholders
o U PMA, CSOPMA, MR, LAP, ONU didn a consultation with the govt and
o CSO gave a draft to ODS team, child fund
o The team ODS present the VNR before bring it to the uN
o The ODS team with Minister Fidelis Magalhães (Minister of Legislative Reforms and Parliamentary Affairs) present the VNR at the UN
o Thematic issue, and the goals were mostly discussed


Suggestion for change (in the VNR reporting) for next time?

• A great mechanism in order to collect the VNR
• Qualitative data should be used more using the statistics and census.
• The HLPF, instead of many countries to the US and use Skype call to minimize the carbon emission.
• Implementation of recommendation of VNR needed to be socialise with the CSO, for advocacy and suggestion to the govt
• Capacity Building for CSO in order to monitor the recommendation of VNR
• People need to understand number and mechanism use in advocacy purpose
• We coordinate only at the time of the VNR,
• VNR is in English , not yet translated into tetum
• It should have been done in the tetum by the local CSOs.
• The draft VNR wasn’t shared
• Salary of the person/consultancy who write is very high , but could have done by the local academics/CSO’s professionals

• ADA could give a format for CSO report , which the they can use for the CSO report and give it to the government.
• For FOGTIL: they can coordinate the whole process.
• The results of the writing, the govt feel an attack on them , so what’s the need of the putting all that effort.
• Documentation is a very important way with the evidence.


• What is the need of CSO Umbrella Network (Advantages and Dis-advantages of CSO Network)
• Positive
o Partners for development
o Together we stronger
o More people have check and balance and hold ewach other accountable
o We have global connections
o Access for resources
• Negative
o We are considered opposition from the government
o Govt expects CSOs to be loyal if they are receiving money from the government
o We often compete fpor the money so there is more competion
o Compete for human resources
o Dfferent sectoral interests
o Lack of strong member participation
o Instead of actong like a network they work as a typical donor oriented NGOs

• What is the use of a national Coalition/umbrella organization
o Do we need a membership based organization? And Why?
? To strengthen advocacy
? To have a better organization
? To support each other
? Be the focal point for external issues
? Coordinate each other at national and international level
? More voices and solidarity for a cause


• Challenges
? Society have less trust in the CSO in some aspect
? Less commitment
? Limited human resources
? Too much dependency on donors

• Road map
? Socialize the VNR report
? Produce CSO report with sectoral focus
? CSO needs training needs training on M&E
? Regula VNR meeting within the CSO and the Govt
? Need training on using tools to monitor tools for VNR

• Committeemen
? Each CSO needs to have a focal point
? Each CSO needs to have a yearly report on their findings
? Each CSO needs to have a data base on the website so that’s its easier for people to write the report
? We need monitoring tools
? We need to advocate for the governments budget

• Challenges
? We don’t have capacity
? Reallocation of staff, they don’t stay for a long term there is no knowledge transfer
? Lack of financial resources

• Expectations
? FONGTIL needs to have a be coordinating among CSO
? FONGTIL needs to compile all reports from the CSOs
? They need a website (FONGTIL), for data base , so together NGOs could upload
? FONGTIL needs to find funding to help the CSOs.


• Evaluation (of the workshop)
? We need to organise so other people listen the reality
? More participation of CSOs are better
? Time management- we need to read earlier about the presentation
? Regulation for the participation
? need to make mandatory for CSO to participate
? more training (wish they read the VNR before they come)
? explanation on VNR is nice
? have clear understanding of what ODS is doing
? less participating of FONGTIL member
? thankful for this if in future if this happens, we know the content
? appreciate the learning on VNR
? more trainings from the government is expected