31 March 2013

Timor Land Reform: Chemonics is Recruiting Land Reform Specialists

Career Opportunities/ Timor-Leste Land Reform Specialist(s)/ All Levels - Chemonics International, an international development firm, seeks Timorese land reform professionals at all levels for an anticipated USAID- funded land tenure reform program to be based in Dili, Timor-Leste. The program will strengthen institutional capacity of organizations to produce high quality results on land related issues and strengthen understanding of land law and policy among citizens and government throughout Timor-Leste. 



General Qualifications:

·       Working  knowledge of Timor’s formal and informal rural and urban land tenure systems

·       Demonstrated understanding of informal and formal land administrative relationships at the national, regional and local level

·       Experience working on donor-funded programs strongly preferred

·       Fluency in English and Tetun required

Positions:

·       Deputy Chief of Party – manages project operations including finance and administration

·       Institutional Development Specialist – leads activities to strengthen human and institutional capacity in government and civil society organizations

·       Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist – designs and implements monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems for program activities

·       Public Outreach Specialist – leads program activities to increase public awareness of land reform and land administration issues

·       Policy and Research Specialist- supports work of counterparts in the Timorese government to assess effectiveness of land administration arrangements through rigorous applied research programs.

Technical areas of expertise include:

·       Governance/performance improvement of land administration

·       Legal aspects of land ownership

·       Curriculum design for land administration training

·       Land use planning, including GIS

·       Land conflict, including protected land issues

·       Monitoring and evaluation of land tenure projects

·       Gender sensitivity and analysis for land reform

·       Finance and administration of USAID- funded projects

·       Communications.

Please send CV (including references), cover letter, and contact information to timorlandreform@gmail.com  by April 11th, 2013 indicating the position to which you are applying in the subject line. No telephone inquiries, please. Only finalists will be contacted. More information about Chemonics International Inc. can be found at www.chemonics.com.

01 March 2013

Land Dispute Cases Heard in the Dili District Court in January 2013

Dili District Court Coat of Arms
ETLS 01 March 2013 - The following are extracts from the English translation of the Judicial System Monitoring Program's monitoring of procceedings in the Dili District Court in January 2013 pertaining to land disputes.

1. Land Dispute - Case No. 134/Civil/2010/TDD

Dili District Court     

Judge Composition: Single
Judge: Jacinta Correia
Lawyer for the plaintiff: Pedro Aparicio (private lawyer)
Lawyer for the respondent: José Gutteres (private lawyer)
Conclusion: Trial adjourned

On 16 January 2013 the Dili District Court adjourned a trial in a case involving a land dispute which was scheduled to be heard on the aforementioned date. The object of the dispute is located in Becora, Dili.

The trial was adjourned because the court failed to adhere to the schedule of hearings that had been prepared in advance and therefore the lawyer decided to go home. The adjournment occurred because the judge presiding over this matter was attending to another duty that could not be interrupted.

The land at the center of this dispute had been occupied by Chin Qoe Lien since Portuguese times and then in 2005 the land was sold to Fernando Silva.   However, a third party identified as Lay I Fa claimed that the land in dispute belonged to him.

The trial was scheduled to continue on 8 February 2013 at 3pm.

2.  Land dispute - Case No. 08/Civel/2012/TDD

Dili District Court     

Judge Composition: Single
Judge: António Gonçalves
Lawyer for the plaintiff: Julio P. Cardoso (private lawyer)
Lawyer for the respondent: Arlindo Dias (private lawyer)
Conclusion: Settled via an amicable agreement

On 24 January 2013 the Dili District Court conducted a trial in a case involving a dispute over land situated in Becora, Dili that occurred in 2011.  The plaintiff Nuno Barreto Ching brought legal proceedings against the respondent Guilhermino Ching who is the brother of the plaintiff.

During the trial the court tried to get the two parties to reach an amicable settlement, but was unsuccessful in this regard. Therefore the plaintiff requested to the court to settle the case by having the parties reach a traditional settlement.

The respondent welcomed this request and the court gave the two parties 15 days to reconcile. The results of this reconciliation or agreement are to be submitted to the court.

Read the full report on East Timor Law and Justice Bulletin

Source: JSMP Press Release February 2013. Edited by Warren L. Wright