Supporting Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic through Targeted Employment-Intensive Emergency Public Works for the Rural Poor and Vulnerable in Timor-Leste
The project supports recovery of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing direct employment opportunities for the rural poor and vulnerable population through routine road maintenance activities.
Background
Poverty and underemployment levels in Timor-Leste are high, particularly among rural people in the informal economy. This situation has been aggravated by the COVID-19 restrictions. To leverage capacities and approaches developed through existing employment intensive investments projects and complement existing work, the project supports recovery of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing direct employment opportunities for the rural poor and vulnerable population through routine road maintenance activities.Objectives
The project covers 12 municipalities and collaborates with the relevant government ministries, municipal governments, workers' and employers' organization to achieve the following targets:- Decent employment and income support to 1,850 direct beneficiaries (including 50% women, 2% persons living with disabilities);
- Improved rural road access on 275 kms of core rural roads;
- Model for targeted emergency employment-intensive public works programme; and
- Strengthened capacities and dialogues between tri-partite constituents regarding design, implementation and monitoring emergency employment-intensive public works programs - with cross-cutting aspects like gender equality, involvement of people with disabilities, and the principle of non-discrimination mainstreamed.