Summary

National legislation in Timor-Leste reflects the principle of gender equality in accordance with international obligations in human rights. Whereas there is an implementation gap between formal laws and cultural practices to address gender equality, in which women still face social, economic, and political discrimination and inequalities in their daily life.

UNDP has been assisting Timor-Leste for over two decades to ensure gender equality and protect women’s rights. Our focus is on:

• Economic and political empowerment of women,

• Supporting a legal system in which men and women are equally respected and legally protected in every area of life.

In Depth

To ensure gender equality, UNDP has partnerships with a wide range of partners, such as the government, parliament, international organizations, civil societies, private sectors, academic institutions, and media outlets. One of the challenges to protecting marginalized groups, especially survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), is to assure their access to high-quality rule-of-law institutions and justice services. Through Spotlight Initiative, the European Union-United Nations joint initiative led by UN Women, UNDP supports evidence-based legislation to address violence against women and girls, and builds up institutional capacity to plan, fund, and deliver evidence-based programs that facilitate prevention and response to GBV. The inter-organizational initiative also calls for attention from local communities to promote the establishment of quality, essential and legal services to protect survivors of GBV, and advocate community-based solutions and solidarity against GBV through local media.

In addition, the Access to Justice Project under UNDP Timor-Leste provides support to the justice and security sectors to promote gender justice. As the result, a total of 200 survivors and affected family members (110 Survivors and 90 family members) benefitted from the shelter, counseling, and reintegration, and 89 (55% women) law graduates completed a three-month online legal training to help their future legal career development; 46% of those who passed the LJTC entrance exams were the participants of the 3-months course (55% women), and developed a gender-sensitivity training manual for prison guards and inmates and financial literacy training manual for female inmates.

UNDP has been assisting Timor-Leste for over two decades to ensure gender equality and protect women’s rights. Our focus is on:

• Economic and political empowerment of women,

• Supporting a legal system in which men and women are equally respected and legally protected in every area of life.