ILO unveils support plan for East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The International Labor Organization (ILO) office in Geneva has unveiled a comprehensive plan for reconstruction, employment and skills training in East Timor.

ILO said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the plan of assistance was provided on Tuesday to the members of the Employment and Social Policy of the ILO's governing body meeting in the presence of Jose Ramos-Horta, the East Timorese leading figure and joint winner of the Nobel Peace prize in 1996.

The assistance includes emergency employment in labor- intensive reconstruction schemes, the rehabilitation of public utilities, the promotion of small businesses and development of vocational education and training and the establishment of employment registration and services.

The cost of the total package of the assistance programs, to be implemented over a period of three years, is estimated to be some US$22.7 million.