Thanks to a UN Women programme, hundreds of schoolchildren and their parents in Timor-Leste have learned how to treat each other with greater respect in the classroom, at home and in the community. UN Women works with educational institutions, civil society organizations Alola Foundation and Mane ho Vizaun Foun (Men with a New Vision) and the Ministry of Education to run the Connect with Respect programme on preventing violence against women and girls by promoting healthy relationships in 15 schools in three municipalities of Timor-Leste.

The Government of Timor-Leste, in partnership with Asia Development Bank and UN Women, is conducting a Country Gender Assessment as a measuring tool for progress on equality between women and men. Factors such as women’s participation in the workforce, health, security, education, violence and justice have been examined to ascertain challenges and ways forward.