Devising the National Recovery Strategy: Pragmatism prevails

In its original design, the National Recovery Strategy (NRS) to end displacement in East Timor, adopted on 12 December 2007, had five complementary pillars that intended to address all obstacles to return or resettlement and, importantly, closure of camps in an integrated manner. The five pillars were: 1) “Together Building Confidence” (with an objective to “increase trust between the people and the government and strengthen community); 2) “Together Building Social Economy” (with an objective to “create livelihood opportunities for all not only in areas of return but also in the districts”); 3) “Together Building Stability” (with an objective to “address security concerns and to create an environment conductive to return or resettlement”); 4) “Together Building Protection” (with an objective to establish a social safety net for the most vulnerable with “due attention to the specific needs of the IDPs”); and 5) “Together Building Homes” (with an objective to help IDPs return home where it is safe and possible and to provide new houses where it is not). In practice, however, the NRS was never fully implemented and only the first and last pillars were operationalized in an extensive way.

Related Subject(s): Migration

Countries: Timor-Leste