La'o Hamutuk (

Tetum , nativename=Tetun , states= Indonesia East Timor , speakers=, mostly in Indonesia , date=2010–2011 , ref=e18 , speakers2=50,000 L2-speakers in Indonesia and East Timor , familycolor=Austronesian , fam2=Malayo-Polynesian , fam3= Central–East ...

for "walking together"), or the Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis, is an

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-we ...

ese

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

(NGO). It is based on Avenida Dom Ricardo da Silva, , in the national capital,

Dili Dili ( Portuguese/ Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed ...

. The organisation is a progressive

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

collective that analyzes and reports on development issues, rights and processes, including the actions of international institutions and the government of East Timor. Its work is published in Tetum and in English.

History

La'o Hamutuk was founded during the UN administration of East Timor in 2000 by local and foreign human rights activists and activists who had campaigned for East Timor's independence from Indonesia. It has since followed East Timor's politics and monitored the country's various institutions. La'o Hamutuk does not accept grants from donors who may have a significant interest in East Timor. So, for example, it is not funded by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

and its organizations, the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

, the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offi ...

, the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...

as well as the major development aid donors in East Timor, the East Timor government or political parties, or companies operating there. Rather, it relies on private foundations, NGOs, governments of small countries and individual donations.

Activities

La'o Hamutuk analyzes political developments and processes in the East Timorese government and international organisations in East Timor, and reports on them. In doing so, it seeks to facilitate greater levels of effective Timorese participation in the reconstruction and development of the country. La'o Hamutuk works to improve communication between international institutions and organizations and the various sectors of Timorese society. It also serves as a resource centre. Topics of La'o Hamutuk publications include East Timor's dependency on petroleum exports, the dispute between East Timor and Australia over the boundary between the two nations, the national budget, food sovereignty and land rights, and media law. Many foreign embassies in Dili rely on La'o Hamutuk's analyses, which are available free of charge. The organisation also produces its own half-hour radio program, in the Tetum language. The program, known as ''Programa Radio Igualdade'', includes interviews and commentary on current topics, and can also be downloaded from the organisation's website.

Staff

, La'o Hamutuk had eight full-time employees from East Timor and two from abroad. Its structure is non-hierarchical, with two rotating coordinators. The local and international staff are employed under the same terms and conditions, and are paid the same salaries.

Reception

According to analyst Gordon Peake, La'o Hamutuk "... is widely respected, mainly for the quality of its information, research, analysis, and comment on socio-economic issues, and many times it is the only organisation providing written comments on important issues such as the Petroleum Fund (PF) and the state budget."

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

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Official blog
*{{facebook Human rights organizations based in East Timor Think tanks based in East Timor Think tanks established in 2000