Lusa – In Timor-Leste, a bus dubbed the 'Demokrasia – bis' is serving as an information sharing centre, driving around the country to hear the concerns and suggestions of young Timorese in order to then bring them to the attention of political decision-makers.

The bus was created and developed by the United Nations Development Programme in Timor-Leste and financed by the UNDP's regional office, as part of the project 'Youth Conversations: Dada-lia ho foin-sa e sira'.

"It's a mobile citizenship laboratory that circulates throughout the country," Bruno Lencastre, coordinator of the UNDP's Good Governance programme, told Lusa. "Its aim is to serve as a means, a channel, to bring young people together,' especially in rural areas, with political decision-makers."

With 1.3 million people, Timor-Leste has one of the youngest populations in the world, with around 70% of its population under 35.

"This is exactly the aim of our programme, to ensure that young people are heard in political decision-making and in the design of public policies, which ultimately influence all Timorese or have the potential to influence society in general," said Lencastre.

"In a country where seventy per cent of the population is young and where their representation is not reflected, or is very little reflected, in the organs of sovereignty, it is important to find channels that young people can use to get their wishes, concerns and recommendations across so that political decision-making bodies can take their opinions into account when designing public policies."

The bus, which includes a studio for making podcasts, provides civic education and information on governance, but also aims to help people participate in the joint creation of public policies and organise meetings with local leaders.

"Society in Timor-Leste is very hierarchical and very much based on a structure in which the elders are at the top of the pyramid and through this bus we are going to try to find channels of communication within these structures, between the elders and the younger ones at a local level, because the elders are the main interlocutors with the local government and with the headquarters of the municipalities," added Lencastre.

Data from the World Bank, published in a report on human capital development released in November 2023, show that 20% of Timorese between the ages of 15 and 24 were neither studying nor working, due to a lack of education, limitations in health provision and ineffective social protection.

The data also shows that the average school attendance of young people is 6.3 years and that one in five youngsters drop out.

Source: https://www.macaubusiness.com/timor-leste-democracy-bus-shares-information-hears-youngsters-concerns