August 6, 2024, 3:03 am
Twenty five years ago, Timor Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. After a bloody separation and complete destruction of most of the country, Timor Leste has rebuilt itself and established its position on the international stage as a country that is moving forward.
Australia and Timor Leste enjoy a very strong relationship on many fronts . One of the success stories is the East Timor Eye program which, after 24 years has allowed the country to become reasonably self sufficient in eye care. The East Timor Eye Program is coordinated from Hobart by Dr Dr Nitin Verma. Following the good outcome of this program, attention is now moving on to the South Pacific which is home to 12.3 million people and where the rates of blindness are amongst the highest in the world.
These soft diplomacy initiatives based on person to person relationships go a long way in allowing ordinary citizens to utilise their professional skills to play a very important part in stabilizing inter country relationships in these very uncertain and turbulent times.
The second speaker is Mr Richard Warner onThe Crawford Fund and Timor Leste. The Crawford Fund raises the awareness of the benefits, for both Australia and developing countries of investment and involvement in food security and food nutrition. Mr Warner will highlight Crawford Fund activities in Timor Leste particularly projects involving Tasmanian involvement.
Content Creator – Australian Institute of International Affairs
