Timor Leste, emerging from conflict ridden independence is one of the poorest countries in Asia, with 
major chal enges in  rebuilding  infrastructure, particularly water and  sanitation  in  rural areas. Community Led  Total Sanitation  is a  relatively new approach  to  eliminate open  defecation  through 
community mobilisation and behaviour change, rather than subsidy and latrine construction. This paper
discusses CLTS in the Timorese context, and highlights some key chal enges in assessing the potential of
CLTS to  address sanitation issues. Some problems identified include a lack of coherence between the
integration  of water supply and  sanitation, and  the promotion  of CLTS  in  isolation  of any project
activities that utilise any form of incentive or subsidy. The knock­ on ef ect of the long term sustainability
of latrine usage and  maintenance CLTS  is questioned  unless further research  clarifies the demand 
responsiveness of CLTS in conjunction with subsidy driven water supply.