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<font size=3>As the attached flyer describes, I'll be presenting at a
webinar organized by Australian National University on "Timor-Leste:
2021 economic survey" on Wednesday, 10 February from noon to 1
(Canberra time , which is 10 am in Dili and 8 pm Tuesday evening on the
east coast of North America). <br><br>
Prior registration is required, which you can do at
<a href="https://anu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9PYkiMObRzGtmP8706UiPQ" eudora="autourl">
https://anu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9PYkiMObRzGtmP8706UiPQ</a><br><br>
Here's a summary:<br><br>
In 2002, Timor-Leste emerged from centuries of autocratic foreign rule
and violent Indonesian occupation. Its people have created a peaceful
society and democratic government under the rule of law.
Economically, they have evolved from depending on foreign aid,
through exporting oil and gas, to living off the returns from
investing past non-renewable resource revenues. The economy and
state treasury are among the most petroleum-export dependent in the
world; many people live in poverty; and the non-oil economy is neglected.
However, oil and gas revenues will end soon, and the sovereign
wealth fund may only carry the country for another decade.<br><br>
The parties in power have changed three times since 2017, and the
current coalition was formed in May 2020. The government faces
major challenges: economic diversification, the decline of oil revenues,
continuing poverty and inequality, inadequate public services, and
COVID-19. It is afflicted by the resource curse: approaching every
problem by spending extractive assets, import dependency, lack of
realistic planning, dismissing the productive economy, and neglecting the
country’s people – its most valuable resource. Time is running out for
decisions critical to the nation’s future.<br><br>
This webinar will explore today’s context and options, particularly in
relation to the state budget, economy and the Tasi Mane petroleum
infrastructure project.<br><br>
This webinar is free and open to the public. It will be recorded, and the
recording will be made available after the event through the Development
Policy Centre website
(<a href="https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/" eudora="autourl">
https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/</a>).<br>
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***********************************************************<br>
Charles Scheiner<br>
La'o Hamutuk (The Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and
Analysis)<br>
P.O. Box 340, Dili, Timor-Leste <br>
Telephone: +670-332-1040, +670-7734-0965 mobile, +1-914-473-3185
USA mobile or WhatsApp<br>
email: peacefulsystems@gmail.com website:
<a href="http://www.laohamutuk.org/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.laohamutuk.org</a> blog:
<a href="http://laohamutuk.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://laohamutuk.blogspot.com/</a> skype: cscheiner<br><br>
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