Dili, February 10, 2015 – On February 9, 2015, the United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Forest Service (USFS), began a six-day training course for Timor-Leste government officials on the Incident Command System (ICS). Thirty government officials from the national and district level of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Health, the Timor-Leste National Police, and the Timor-Leste Defense Forces, as well as members of the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Bombeiros participated in the training. ICS improves the effectiveness of disaster response operations by establishing a common organizational structure. The system was developed to provide effective leadership in disasters that affect multiple jurisdictions, improve the efficient use of limited resources, and provide a safer working environment for responders.

 

During the training’s launch ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste Karen Stanton remarked, “Even though Timor-Leste is not a member of ASEAN - yet - the U.S. in partnership with Timor-Leste, initiated the Improving Disaster Response Management and Coordination project here a year ago to support the establishment of Timor-Leste's own version of ICS. This will help Timor-Leste better prepare communities to withstand a myriad of disasters - with the side benefit of helping to further prepare the country for possible ASEAN accession.”

 

USFS is working with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to incorporate ICS into the emergency response systems of its ten member nations as well as at a regional level. ASEAN members Brunei, Philippines, and Thailand are currently conducting pilots of the ICS, and ICS trainings and programs were also conducted in Australia and Indonesia. Later this month, two officials from the Government of Timor-Leste will attend an ASEAN Lessons Learned Conference.

 

There, they will learn how ASEAN member nations and other countries have incorporated ICS and adapted it to their national context through the same program that Timor-Leste is now beginning. The officials will use these lessons to help Timor-

Leste incorporate ICS into a national disaster management system that is appropriate for the country.

 

USAID’s ICS training in Timor-Leste will use a train-the-trainer model to build capacity at the national and district/municipality levels. The Basic/Intermediate ICS course is the first course for the initial group of candidates who will eventually become ICS Master Trainers in Timor-Leste.