General Directorate of Statistics, Timor-Leste

The current National Statistics Office in East Timor came into being on 30 June 2000 under the First UN Transitional Administration for East Timor (UNTAET). Funding was provided through UNDP and the main program at the time was a Consumer Price Index project. The office was located in the GPA Building and had a staff of 16 Nationals and Internationals. In 2001, the Second Transitional Government reduced the staff numbers to 8 and the location was shifted to the Prime Minister’s Office but administration was via the Ministry of Economic Affairs. On 20 may 2002, Independence Day, the NSO changed to a Directorate within the Ministry of Planning and Finance. The location was moved to a prefabricated Kobe Building next to MOPF. The first Director was Mr Manuel Mendonça and the staff was increased back to 16 plus an international advisor – Mr David Brackfield, funded by the International Monetary Fund. The office, renamed National Statistics Directorate, shifted to its current location in Caicoli on 5 September 2003. UNFPA funded the refurbishing of the two storey building that was the old Statistics office under the Indonesian administration. Not only did DNE end up with more space but they also had good conference and training facilities plus room for storage of questionnaires in an annex at the back.