The Government has signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) in support of the first
review of the country's security sector. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão and Deputy Special Representative of the
Secretary-General and UNDP Representative Finn Reske- Nielsen signed the agreement on 13 June during an official ceremony at the Palácio do Governo in Dili.

The agreement details the technical assistance and advice the UN will provide to the Government in order to conduct a nationwide review of its security sector.

The overall aim of the review is to strengthen the nation's ability to protect itself, both internally and externally. To
do so, it will help identify threats facing the country, analyze the se curity sector's capacity to respond to those
threats and propose steps to improve that response.
UNMIT security sector reform expert Murray McCullough said that the security sector involves much more than
men and women in uniform.
"It's important that people understand that when we talk about a 'security sector', we are talking about much more
than just the police or military. A security sector involves all areas of a country that can have an impact on the
nation's security, and this can be anything from a drought to a tsunami to illegal fishing," said Mr McCullough.
The review will look at all areas that make up the security sector including foreign affairs, customs, intelligence
services, justice, fisheries protection, border control, natural disasters, finance, maritime protection, health as well
as the police and army.
At the signing, Mr Finn Reske-Nielsen told participants there can be no development without a healthy and
efficient security sector. "The review, reform and development of the security sector are based on the fact that the
stability of a nation and its development go hand-in-hand," he said.
This is the first time that Timor-Leste will conduct a review of its security sector, something that all democratic
countries around the world perform on a periodic basis.