Timor-Leste launches 2nd generation of its National Action Plan 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325)

[Press release]

English | Tetun

Dili, Timor-Leste — The Government of Timor-Leste, with UN Women’s support, has today officially launched the second-generation National Action Plan (2024-2028) for implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (“NAP 1325”). The NAP 1325, spanning five years, serves as a holistic and multi-stakeholder national strategy to ensure that gender equality and women’s leadership is integral to every aspect of conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery, and humanitarian response in Timor-Leste.

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The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (“CEDAW”) and the UN Security Council Resolutions (“UNSCR”) on Women, Peace and Security (“WPS”) have established important obligations for the protection of women’s human rights and achievement of gender equality relative to issues of international peace and security. Resolution 1325 was the first WPS resolution unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council on 31 October 2000. This landmark resolution is an inspiring global normative framework recognizing the importance of women’s meaningful and full participation and leadership as active agents in peace and security.

Recognizing the profound contribution of Timorese women in peacebuilding and sustainable development across generations in their history, Timor-Leste was the third country in South-East Asia to develop a WPS National Action Plan (2016-2020). Since 2014, the Government of Timor-Leste and participating civil society organizations (CSOs), in partnership with UN Women, developed and implemented the first NAP 1325, to enhance equal, inclusive and meaningful participation and leadership of Timorese women in decision-making and protection from violence, and to strengthen gender-responsive conflict resolution and peacebuilding practices.

Timor-Leste’s Minister of Interior, H.E. Dr. Francisco da Costa Guterres, emphasized that “recognizing the vital roles of Timorese women in peacebuilding and sustainable development, the second generation NAP 1325 (2024-2028) intends to promote women’s full, meaningful and equal participation and leadership in peace and security, and community conflict prevention and resolution, disaster and humanitarian response, and to expand the contours of women’s roles in decision making in the security and justice sectors, and to all levels of governance.”

Structured around four key pillars - Participation, Prevention, Protection, and Peacebuilding, the new NAP 1325 articulates a comprehensive strategy in response to evolving needs of women and girls to address both traditional and emerging security risks, including impacts of disaster induced by climate change, cybersecurity and human trafficking.

Ms. Nishtha Satyam, UN Women Timor-Leste’s Head of Office, added that "UN Women congratulates the Government of Timor-Leste for approving the second phase WPS NAP. It marks a commitment to further strengthen the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the country. UN Women will continue to support effective implementation and monitoring of the new NAP 1325 that brings together women’s participation and women’s leadership across various sectors of government and society.”

Timor-Leste has made significant progress in promoting women’s participation and leadership in decision making roles at national level, and promoting gender equality within the national security forces. Today, Timor-Leste’s National Parliament is led by a woman, and 36.9 per cent of the seats (24 out of 65) in the National Parliament are held by women. The F-FDTL (Armed Force of Timor-Leste) has recently announced the appointment of the first Timorese female officer as Captain, marking a significant advancement in gender representation and leadership within the military. Nonetheless, women are still vastly under-represented in all spectrums of decision making. As of 2023, only 4 per cent of the elected Suku Chief are women. The representation of women within the national police force stands at 15 per cent, which falls short of the target set in its Gender Strategy of 18 per cent for 2022.

The Government of Timor-Leste, under the leadership and coordination of the Ministry of Interior, continues to promote gender equality and rights of women and girls as the country works towards sustaining peace and accelerating development progresses in two decades after the restoration of independence. On 11 November 2021, in commemoration of the 21st anniversary of UNSCR 1325, the Ministry for Interior and UN Women officially inaugurated the NAP 1325 structure for planning and developing the second phase of the national WPS framework. The development of the second NAP 1325 is a multi-stakeholder and participatory process led by the Ministry of Interior, with UN Women's technical support, following rounds of consultation and validation workshops with government institutions, CSOs, and development partners at both national and municipal levels during the period of 2021-2023. The representatives of women’s groups, rural women, women with disabilities, women survivors of past conflicts, people with disabilities, and the LGBTIQ + community were included in the consultations. In total, 15 government institutions and 14 civil society organizations were consulted and involved in developing and drafting the second NAP 1325.

The approval of the NAP 1325 (2024-2028) by the Council of Ministers on 10 January 2024 signifies a robust commitment of the Government of Timor-Leste to plan, develop, implement and invest in advancing its national WPS agenda in the context of post-COVID-19 recovery and its accession into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).