[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44427-44428]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16020]


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MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION

[MCC FR 22-09]


Notice of Entering Into a Compact With the Democratic Republic of 
Timor-Leste

AGENCY: Millennium Challenge Corporation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the provisions of the Millennium Challenge 
Act of 2003, as amended, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is 
publishing a summary of the Millennium Challenge Compact (Compact) 
between the United States of America, acting through MCC, and the 
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (Timor-Leste). Representatives of 
MCC and Timor-Leste signed the Compact on July 19, 2022. The complete 
text of the Compact has been posted at: https://assets.mcc.gov/content/uploads/compact-timor-leste.pdf.

(Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7709(b)(3))

    Dated: July 21, 2022.
Thomas G. Hohenthaner,
Acting VP/General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

Summary of Timor-Leste Compact

Overview of the MCC Timor-Leste Compact

    MCC's five-year Compact with the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste 
in the amount of $420 million aims to reduce poverty through economic 
growth. The Compact seeks to assist Timor-Leste in addressing the human 
capital constraint to economic growth through two primary projects: the 
Water, Sanitation, and Drainage (``WSD'') Project and the Teaching and 
Leading the Next generation of Timorese (``TALENT'') Project.

Project Summaries

    The projects and activities to be completed are:

1. Water, Sanitation, and Drainage Project

    The primary objective of the WSD Project is to reduce fecal 
pathogens in piped and stored drinking water and groundwater. The 
project aims to mitigate exposure to sanitary waste and pathogens in 
water, households, and the environment through investments in 
infrastructure, policy and institutional reform, and social and 
behavior change. The project will focus its interventions in the 
capital city of Dili and four nearby municipalities (Aileu, Ermera, 
Liquica, and Manatuto). Specifically, the WSD Project will support the 
following activities:
     Activity 1: Water Disinfection. This activity will supply 
disinfected water to Dili and the four municipalities of Timor-Leste 
through the design and construction of an onsite sodium hypochlorite 
generation plant.
     Activity 2: Sanitation. This activity includes the design 
and construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, an ocean outfall, 
wastewater collection systems, and wastewater connections to households 
and businesses.

[[Page 44428]]

     Activity 3: Associated Drainage. This activity supports 
the implementation of the sanitary sewer system described in the 
Sanitation Activity through the construction of in-street drainage 
infrastructure in areas where conflicts with sewer lines would 
otherwise occur.
     Activity 4: Institutional Reform. To ensure long-term 
sustainability of the WSD Project's infrastructure investments, this 
activity will support the capacity building and institutional 
development of Timor-Leste's independent public water utility with a 
focus on strengthening asset management expertise and operations and 
maintenance capacity. The activity will further promote sustainability 
through targeted assistance to Timor-Leste's independent water 
regulator to develop and implement regulations and public awareness 
around sanitation and disinfection.
     Activity 5: Household Water and Hygiene. This social and 
behavior change activity includes interventions to increase household 
and community awareness of the benefits of, and support for, the 
construction and maintenance of household sanitation units as well as 
the adoption and maintenance of key behaviors to secure sustained 
community buy-in for household sanitation infrastructure

2. Teaching and Leading the Next Generation of Timorese Project

    The primary objective of the TALENT Project is to improve student 
learning outcomes. To achieve this objective, the project will invest 
in teacher and school leader education and training, which are critical 
to improving student learning. The project will establish the Center of 
Excellence and improve the pedagogical and leadership skills of 
existing and future secondary school teachers and leaders through the 
development and deployment of targeted trainings. Future teachers and a 
subset of existing teachers will receive professional certification 
through the Center of Excellence during the life of the Compact. 
Ultimately, it is expected that all secondary teachers will be required 
to have Center of Excellence certification in order to be eligible for 
employment in a government secondary school in Timor-Leste. The project 
will employ a gender-responsive approach in all activities and place a 
concerted focus on increasing the number of women as teachers and 
school leaders in secondary schools through a dedicated sub-activity. 
Specifically, the TALENT Project will support the following activities:
     Activity 1: Center of Excellence. This activity will 
establish a new autonomous institution in Timor-Leste to provide 
professional training and certification to future secondary teachers 
entering the workforce, as well as training and certification of a 
portion of current secondary teachers.
     Activity 2: Teacher Training. This activity involves the 
development of curriculum, materials, and faculty to train current and 
future teachers to improve their pedagogical skills that lead to 
improvements in numeracy, literacy, and soft skills. It also includes 
the professional certification of all newly trained secondary teachers 
and a subset of current teachers.
     Activity 3: School Leadership Training. This activity will 
support the training of school leaders to create effective schools 
through strong school leadership, both in school management and in 
terms of instructional leadership. It includes the development of 
curriculum and training materials and the delivery of trainings to 
current and future school leaders. Training will focus on competencies 
in school leadership, including gender and social inclusion and 
information communications technology in education.
     Activity 4: Ensuring Excellence. This activity ensures 
accessibility and quality of all activities carried out under the 
Center of Excellence. It includes support for quality assurance and 
monitoring, information and communication technology, and language 
needs, as well as a specific sub-activity focused on increasing the 
number of women in teaching and leadership positions in secondary 
schools.

Compact Budget

    The Compact budget is up to $484,000,000, which includes up to 
$420,000,000 funded by MCC and a contribution from Timor-Leste of 
$64,000,000.

                   Table 1--Timor-Leste Compact Budget
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                    Project/activity                       Budget (US$)
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Water, Sanitation, and Drainage Project.................     308,205,050
    Activity 1: Water Disinfection......................       8,270,509
    Activity 2: Sanitation..............................     278,846,498
    Activity 3: Associated Drainage.....................       8,938,044
    Activity 4: Institutional Reform....................       6,950,000
    Activity 5: Household Water and Hygiene.............       5,200,000
Teaching and Leading the Next generation of Timorese          40,190,538
 Project................................................
    Activity 1: Center of Excellence....................      14,599,454
    Activity 2: Teacher Training........................      14,664,142
    Activity 3: School Leadership Training..............       5,039,535
    Activity 4: Ensuring Excellence.....................       5,887,407
Monitoring and Evaluation...............................       6,800,000
        Program Administration..........................      64,804,412
                                                         ---------------
        Total MCC Funding...............................     420,000,000
        Total Government Contribution...................      64,000,000
        Total Program...................................     484,000,000
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[FR Doc. 2022-16020 Filed 7-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9211-03-P