UN Women in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor) became an independent nation in 2002 after centuries as a Portuguese colony, followed by Indonesian control and devastating conflict which left most of the population displaced and decimated 70% of the infrastructure. Intervention by peacekeeping forces led to transfer of authority to the UN. Credible elections ultimately took place in 2007. Currently, the main challenges for women remain deep poverty and the impact of conflict. Political participation and economic empowerment are particularly crucial as the conflict left nearly half the married Timorese women widowed and sole providers for their family.Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is a critical issue for women in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Domestic violence is the most reported case to the Vulnerable Persons Unit of the police (a unit set up specifically for vulnerable people including women, children and the elderly).Timorese women have described SGBV as normal and a daily occurrence.

The creation of the new constitution provided an opportunity to women's human rights, and a Gender and the Constitution Working Group was set up with support from UNIFEM and its partners, to ensure that women's rights were included in the new constitution. This resulted in guarantees of equality between men and women, and a declared state objective to promote and guarantee the effective equality of opportunities between women and men. Additionally, provisions in the Electoral Law of 2006 obliged political parties to include at least one woman in every group of four candidates, which resulted in women candidates winning 19 seats in parliament out of a total of 65 seats during the 2007 elections, and a woman also being elected as Vice-President of Parliament. High female participation in politics in the National Level is not reflected at local levels. In the 2009 suco (local council) elections, female participation almost doubled form 7% in 2004 to 13% in 2009. Although 28% of all elected officials were women, only 10 women were elected to chefe de suco (local council head), comprising only 2% of chefe de sucos in Timor-Leste. The Law against Domestic Violence Law was passed by the National Parliament in May 2010, and promulgated by the President in July 2010.

UNIFEM established a presence in Timor-Leste with an initial needs assessment in 2000, and opened a country office in 2001. Currently, UNIFEM works in the following areas:

• Gender-Responsive Budgeting. Timor-Lestes thriving civil society has begun lobbying the Government to ensure all future budgets are gender responsive. The campaign began during a two day workshop on gender responsive budgeting (GRB), organized by UNIFEM (part of UN Women). Approximately 20 representatives of womens rights organizations participated in the workshop in Dili in August 2010 on the role of civil society in the gender budgeting process. Read more..
• Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). A baseline study of SGBV in two pilot districts on the western border has been produced, which identifies the causes and types of domestic violence, as well as categorizes the available services and the gaps in such services. After working successfully with women in raising awareness and peacebuilding, the second phase of the programme in 2010 will focus on the role men and youth can play in ending SGBV. Read more..
• Coordinating the Millennium Development Goal Achievement Fund Joint Programme, comprising of UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and International Organisation for Migration. As well as coordinating activities, including a baseline study on domestic violence and human trafficking in five districts of Timor-Leste, UNIFEM is leading the gender responsive budget element of the programme, ensuring policies, plans and laws are gender sensitive and provide adequate funds to the needs of women and girls, particularly in the areas of domestic violence and human trafficking.
• The Integrated Programme of Women in Politics and Decision Making was initiated in 2007 to continue efforts begun in 2001, which supported women candidates in the 2001 Constituent Assembly elections as well as the 2004 and 2005 suco elections. The programme works to develop women's active participation, leadership and decision-making potential in formal political arenas. The programme was active in the 2009 suco election, with 576 people who attended trainings run by UNIFEM partners in four districts (Lautem, Viqueque, Ermera and Oecusse) elected to various positions, including 3 chefe de sucos.
• PERWL (Programme for Enhancing Rural Women's Leadership and Participation in Nation Building in Timor-Leste) began in 2004 prior to the suco elections, to increase women's participation in and knowledge of political and nation-building processes at local rural-community levels through training, knowledge building and capacity building. Pre-electoral training of 1,265 women candidates in 13 districts has been achieved, and modules and other education materials have been developed for further use. The programme also conducted research on the situation of the rural women in Timor-Leste, focusing on feminisation of poverty.
• Through the CEDAW South East Asia Programme (SEAP), UNIFEM CEDAW SEAP is working to increase awareness of women's human rights and CEDAW by state and civil society, strengthen capacity of governments and organized civil society to promote women's human rights under CEDAW, and engage stronger political will and commitment to CEDAW implementation by developing women's knowledge and capacity to claim their rights.UNIFEM has successfully supported the national womens machinery (now the Secretariat of State for the Promotion of Equality) in compiling and presenting the first State Report for the CEDAW committee, and socializing the Concluding Observations of the Committee presented in November 2009. UNIFEMs support to the Ministry of Education has resulted in a Gender Assessment which will be invaluable for plans to increase female retention levels at schools.
• The Women, Peacebuilding, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Programme is supporting community-led Initiatives by developing the capacity of local governance and community structures to respond effectively to and prevent the occurrence of sexual and gender-based violence, focusing on piloting the initiatives in two western border districts of Bobonaro and Covalima, which report high incidence of sexual and gender-based violence.