KOICA and UNICEF support climate-resilient social services for Timor-Leste

Dili, 20th March 2025 - The United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, (KOICA), today launched a $6.2 miliion programme that will last until 2027 to assist the Government of Timor-Leste’s efforts to address the emerging threats of climate change on the lives and development of children and young people.  

Under the Climate Action for the Last Mile: Reaching the Most Vulnerable Children in Timor-Leste, more than 30,000 children and their families from Dili, Lautem, and Viqueque. will access climate smart social services, including WASH, Healthcare, Nutrition, Education, Social Protection, and Child Protection programmes.

Over the next three years, the programme will fund the establishment of climate-resilient, low-carbon social services at schools; health-care facilities; water, sanitation and hygiene.  In addition, schools will be supported to incorporate climate change, disaster risk reduction, and environmental education into children’s learning. 

These interventions are designed to curb the progression of climate change, while also reducing vulnerability on the impact of climate induced disasters such as drought and floods and helping communities to recover from and adapt to the changing climate conditions.

“Since opening of KOICA Timor-Leste Office in 2010, KOICA have long been dedicated to supporting children's care and education together with various partners, and I am pleased that we are now partnering with UNICEF to expand and strengthen these efforts. This Project is significant as it addresses both children issues and climate change simultaneously. With the strong support of the Government of Timor-Leste, and the commitment of the UNICEF team, I am confident that this project will be a great success and leave a lasting positive impact” said Youn Hwa Kang, Director of KOICA Timor-Leste office. 

This programme is especially critical in Timor-Leste, where children bear the brunt of climate induced disasters such as floods, drought, extreme heat and erratic rain patterns, which often plunges already marginalised, into deeper socio-economic challenges. 

As in other countries in the East Asia and Pacific Region, children are often adversely affected by the negative impacts of climate change through reduced access to clean water, lost time in school, and reduced access to healthcare, food, and shelter. 

“Climate change is a global phenomenon. But for countries like Timor-Leste, where equitable access to basic social services is already a problem for many children and their families, climate induced disaster such as droughts and flooding, only compound an already dire situation,” said UNICEF Representative, Patrizia DiGiovanni.  “UNICEF is therefore grateful for this timely support from KOICA, which will help Timor-Leste to expand its actions to address climate change, so that every child now and, in the future, has an equal opportunity to survive and thrive.”  

This programme in Timor-Leste is part of a current partnership between KOICA and UNICEF, where climate-smart social services are being developed in Asia (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste) and Africa (Comoros and Zimbabwe). These countries were selected based on KOICA’s dual priorities of supporting fragile and/or conflict countries and aligning with the Korean government’s commitment to addressing the interlinkages among the humanitarian, development, and peace interventions.
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For more information, please contact 
KOICA Media Contact:
· Hyesung Yun, KOICA Project Manager - +670 78339710; Email Address – [email protected]  
· Francisco Sarmento Xavier Soares, KOICA Program Officer - +670 7748 5843;  Email Address – [email protected]

UNICEF Media contact:
· Tapuwa Mutseyekwa, UNICEF Advocacy and Communication Specialist, Mobile number - +670 77231103; Email Address – [email protected]   
· Antonio Gomes, UNICEF Communications Officer, Mobile number - +670 77232441; Email address - [email protected] 

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Tetun:

KOICA no UNICEF fó apoiu ba servisu sosiál sira ne'ebé reziliente ba klima ba Timor-Leste

Dili, 20 Marsu 2025 - Fundu Nasoins Unidas ba Labarik, (UNICEF) no Ajénsia Kooperasaun Internasionál Koreia, (KOICA), ohin lansa ona programa ida ho osan tokon $6.2 ne’ebé sei dura to’o tinan 2027 hodi tulun Governu Timor-Leste nia esforsu atu hasoru ameasa emerjente husi mudansa klimátika ba labarik no joven sira nia moris no dezenvolvimentu.

Iha Asaun Klimátika ba Kilómetru Ikus: Alkansa Labarik Vulnerável Liu iha Timor-Leste nia okos, labarik liu 30,000 ho sira-nia família husi Dili, Lautem, no Viqueque. sei asesu ba servisu sosiál intelijente ba klima, inklui liuhosi programa sira Bee, Saneamentu no Ijiene (BESI sigla Tetun), Saúde, Nutrisaun, Edukasaun, Protesaun Sosiál, no Protesaun ba Labarik.

Iha tinan tolu oin mai, programa ne'e sei finansia estabelesimentu servisu sosiál sira ne'ebé reziliente ba klima, ho karbonu ki'ik iha eskola sira; fasilidade kuidadu saúde nian; bee, saneamentu no ijiene. Aleinde ne’e, eskola sira sei hetan apoiu atu inkorpora mudansa klimátika, redusaun risku dezastre, no edukasaun ambientál iha labarik sira-nia aprendizajen.

Intervensaun sira-ne'e dezeña atu trava progresaun hosi mudansa klimátika, enkuantu mós hamenus vulnerabilidade ba impaktu hosi dezastre sira ne'ebé hamosu hosi klimátika hanesan rai-maran no inundasaun sira no ajuda komunidade sira atu rekupera hosi no adapta ba kondisaun klimátika sira ne'ebé muda.

“Dezde loke Eskritóriu KOICA Timor-Leste nian iha tinan 2010, KOICA dedika kleur ona hodi fó apoiu ba kuidadu no edukasaun labarik nian hamutuk ho parseiru oioin, no ha’u sente kontente tanba oras ne’e ami halo parseria ho UNICEF hodi habelar no hametin esforsu hirak ne’e. Projetu ida-ne’e signifikativu tanba aborda tantu asuntu labarik nian no simultaneamente ho apoiu maka’as husi Governu Timor-Leste nian. no kompromisu husi ekipa UNICEF, ha’u fiar katak projetu ne’e sei hetan susesu boot no husik hela impaktu pozitivu ne’ebé dura” hateten Youn Hwa Kang, Diretór eskritóriu KOICA Timor-Leste.

Programa ida-ne’e espesialmente krítiku iha Timor-Leste, iha-ne’ebé labarik sira simu todan hosi dezastre sira ne’ebé hamosu hosi klima hanesan inundasaun, rai-maran, manas maka’as no padraun udan nian ne’ebé laloos, ne’ebé dala barak hamonu ema ne’ebé marjinalizadu ona, ba dezafiu sosioekonómiku sira ne’ebé kle’an liu.

Hanesan iha nasaun sira seluk iha Rejiaun Ázia Leste no Pasífiku, labarik sira dalabarak hetan afetadu negativu hosi impaktu negativu sira hosi mudansa klimátika liuhosi redusaun asesu ba bee-moos, lakon tempu iha eskola, no redusaun asesu ba kuidadu saúde, ai-han, no hela-fatin.

“Mudansa klimátika hanesan fenómenu globál ida maibé ba nasaun sira hanesan Timor-Leste, iha ne’ebé asesu ekuitativu ba servisu sosiál báziku sai ona problema ba labarik barak no sira-nia família, dezastre induzidu husi klima hanesan rai-maran no inundasaun, aumenta de’it situasaun ida ne’ebé aat ona,” dehan Reprezentante UNICEF, Patrizia DiGiovanni. “Tanba ne’e UNICEF agradese ba apoiu oportunu ida ne’e husi KOICA, ne’ebé sei ajuda Timor-Leste atu habelar ninia asaun sira hodi rezolve mudansa klimátika, atu nune’e labarik ida-idak agora no, iha futuru, iha oportunidade hanesan atu sobrevive no buras.”

Programa iha Timor-Leste ne’e nu'udar parte ida husi parseria atuál entre KOICA no UNICEF, ne'ebé dezenvolve servisu sosiál klimátiku intelejente iha Ázia (Papua Nova Gine, Ilha Salomão no Timor-Leste) no Afrika (Comoros no Zimbabwe). Nasaun hirak-ne'e identifikadu bazeia ba prioridade rua KOICA nian hodi suporta nasaun frajil no/ka konflitu sira no aliña ho kompromisu governu Korea nian atu responde ba interligasaun entre intervensaun umanitária, dezenvolvimentu no pás.

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Ba informasaun detallu bele kontaktu:
Kontaktu Media KOICA:
· Hyesung Yun, KOICA Project Manager - +670 78339710; Email Address – [email protected]  
· Francisco Sarmento Xavier Soares, KOICA Program Officer - +670 7748 5843; Email Address – [email protected]

Kontaktu Media UNICEF: 
· Tapuwa Mutseyekwa, UNICEF Advocacy and Communication Specialist, Mobile number - +670 77231103; Email Address – [email protected]   
· Antonio Gomes, UNICEF Communications Officer, Mobile number - +670 77232441; Email address - [email protected]