Timor-Leste

New or Updated NDC

Analysis of Updated NDC

Timeframe

2022 - 2030

Relevant context

Timor-Leste is a young nation-state in South East Asia. This Least Developed Country (LDC) and Small Island Developing State (SIDS) contributes less than 0.003% to the global annual GHG emissions. Despite this nominal contribution, Timor-Leste is disproportionately affected by climate change. The global climate emergency and the COVID-19 pandemic have dismantled the nation’s hard won development gains and exacerbated existing inequalities. It threatens this island state’s food and water security and the health and wellbeing of the Timorese people, as well as increases the risk for potential violence and conflict over resources.

This NDC update is centered on four pillars: climate risk governance, nature-positive growth and transition, low carbon development, and climate change adaptation and resilience building. It features new policy initiatives to strengthen the NDC implementation as well as “intentions to integrate climate risk management into all sectoral policies, planning processes, implementation strategies and investment.” Timor-Leste has yet to decide on a numerical target for its national GHG emissions reduction due to the lack of resources and capacity to develop a national GHG inventory.

Process for developing NDC

The Council of Ministers is responsible for the mainstreaming of climate change into sectoral policies and plans. This Council then mandates the Ministry for Environment to supervise the development of this NDC; with the financial and technical support from the European Union (EU). The overarching policies guiding the development of this revised NDC are the National Climate Change Policy 2021 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and supplemented by the Environment Basic Law, Biodiversity Decree Law, and the Second National Communication.

The Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) led the work to ensure that the priorities set in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) 2021 are reflected and prioritized in this updated NDC. The CCWG is made up of key ministries, donors, international organizations, academia and civil society. The objective of this Working Group is to “help guide consultations on Timor-Leste’s climate change policy and associated plans.” National stakeholders were consulted to support the formulation of the priorities identified for this NDC.

The development of this NDC took into account a gender-responsive approach and considered “the nexus between climate change issues and gender equality.” It also recognized the human rights of the Timorese people as stated in the National Constitution, such as the right to health, the right to food, and the right to education. The rights of the indigenous peoples (IPs) are also upheld and protected, including their cultures, values, beliefs, and customary law. In addition, this NDC incorporated the traditional knowledge of the IPs (e.g., traditional environmental management approaches) along with science for environmental protection.

Description of Monitoring and/or Implementation Mechanism

The National Climate Change Policy 2021 will guide the implementation and coordination of this NDC. To reinforce the implementation of this NDC, the National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan will be developed under the first pillar (climate risk governance) to serve as a central planning document. The NAP 2021 will be incorporated into this NDC to provide the strategic basis for national adaptation priorities and implementation arrangements. This NDC will continue to uphold the 2016 first NDC key adaptation priorities.

Under the fourth pillar of this NDC (climate change adaptation and resilience-building) a subnational and community-based consultation mechanism will be formed. This mechanism aims to “support community empowerment, private sector engagement and subnational implementation of climate change policy implementation activities.”

Timor-Leste requires technical and resource support to develop the relevant monitoring, review and verification (MRV) systems.

In terms of means of implementation, Timor-Leste highlighted five enabling factors that would facilitate the implementation of this NDC, namely, access to finance, economic diversification—to reduce its dependence on oil and gas for revenue, institutional reform, capacity development and human capital investment, and climate risk information and analysis.

The priorities for financial, capacity-building and technology transfer needs are interconnected. Some key priorities listed are: (i) development of a robust GHG Inventory, (ii) strengthen capacity to understand and assess climate risks and improve national climate information services, (iii) improve capacity to cope and address the nexus of disaster and climate change-related impacts in line with SDGs and the mid-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, (iv) investment and scaling up of renewable energy and improve national GHG reporting, (v) integrated water management, (vi) research to support food security and the long-term transition and adaptation of traditional livelihoods, (vii) strengthen health care systems, (viii) capacity to avert and minimise loss and damage as well as improve social protection mechanisms, and (ix) build coastal resilience and minimise coastal community displacement as well as (x) customary land tenure reform, which aims to “improve the enabling environment for the nature-based solutions and carbon market mechanisms” as per Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

A technology needs assessment for mitigation and adaptation priorities, commenced in 2020, is on-going.

Summary of gender reference

Timor-Leste is committed to “creating a gender fair society where human dignity and women’s rights are valued, protected by law and culture.” Gender equality is enshrined in the nation’s Constitution. To deliver on gender equity and equality, this NDC prioritizes the empowerment of women and girls and the creation of various mechanisms, such as: (i) a mechanism within each ministry and Secretariat of State to ensure the integration of gender perspective in the development of strategies, policies, programs and legislation; and (ii) a mechanism for inter-sectoral cooperation and coordination to ensure concerted action to promote equality and affirm the role of women. Overall, this island state aims to enhance the “integration of gender issues and data into design, analysis, execution and monitoring of national and local policies, programs, legislation and plans.”

A gender-responsive approach, including the interlinkages between climate change and gender, informed the preparation of this updated NDC. Under the first pillar (climate risk governance), Timor-Leste has opted for an ‘unconditional’ commitment to gender-responsive governance. The national level activities planned are: (i) each ministry/Secretariat of State will have Gender Focal Points and a Gender Working Group, (ii) representatives from the ministerial Gender Working Groups will automatically become members of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group. The function of this Working Group is to strengthen inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration on gender mainstreaming and is facilitated by the Secretariat of State for the Promotion of Equality and Inclusion (SEPI).

The district level activities planned are: (i) on-going promotion of gender mainstreaming and continuous strengthening of effective local democratic governance, and (ii) establishing and scaling-up district level gender working groups. These working groups would be led by the SEPI. The objective of these working groups is to promote and integrate analysis and engagement on the nexus between climate change and gender issues as well as wider social inclusion issues within the planning processes.

Timor-Leste Updated NDC

Gender Analysis Summary
Submitted NDC	Yes
Submitted language	English
Submitted translation	No
NDC commitments	Mitigation Adaptation
Type of support	Conditional Unconditional
Participatory process for NDC development mentioned	Yes
Monitoring and/or implementation	Implementation
Reference to women/gender	Yes
Gender Tags	B GS S
Context of gender reference	Adaptation Mitigation