Outcome TLS_D_6.1

Government and non-governmental stakeholders’ capacities strengthened to assess and report on progress on the 2030 Agenda and other global normative and policy frameworks for GEWE and government accountability is strengthened (Contributes to UNSDCF Outcome 5)

With the technical support from UN Women, the national women’s machinery, Secretariat of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII), has enhanced capacities in monitoring and reporting the progress of national commitments in the CEDAW, and submitted the Fourth Periodic State Report to the CEDAW Committee in early 2021, through Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the preparation for the next NAP GBV in 2021, the SEII demonstrated improved capacities in coordinating with line ministries and civil society and leading the process of developing the next NAP GBV. With the technical support and continu ous advocacy of UN Women, t he SEII enhanced capacities in monitoring the progress of NAP GBV implementation in 2020 and wrote the NAP GBV Report 202 0 . In 2021, with the continued technical support from UN Women and other development partners, the SEII led the coordination and development of the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence (NAP GBV), and organized national consultations with line ministries, international development partners and local civil society organizations to review the experience and good practices in the current phase (2017-2021) and plan ahead for the upcoming NAP GBV. The draft NAP GBV is expected to be launched in 2022. Furthermore, the SEII has enhanced capacities in monitoring and reporting the progress of NAP GBV implementation in 2019-2021, compared to the early stage of the second NAP 1325 implementation. The SEII compiled the NAP GBV Reports 2019 and 2020. UN Women provided technical support in reviewing and providing comments to the draft NAP GBV Reports.

Government and non-governmental stakeholders’ capacities strengthened to assess and report on progress on the 2030 Agenda and other global normative and policy frameworks for GEWE and government accountability is strengthened (Contributes to UNSDCF Outcome 5)

In 2024 Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEI) undertook in key policy and legislative reforms., including the revision of the Domestic Violence Act and the development of the first Domestic Workers Law, ensuring alignment with national and international commitments. Domestic work in Timor-Leste is not covered by the country's labo u r code, which creates vulnerabilities for domestic workers 80 percent of which are women. While there is strong support for legal protections for domestic workers, repeated efforts to pass legislation have failed. In 2024, SEI drafted the first Domestic Worker Law. UN Women supported SEI in putting together the draft. Moving ahead , i n 2025, SEI w i ll T he draft law will now be shared share the draft with relevant stakeholder for their inputs and then further propose its adoption by the cabinet of ministers. by SEI . In 2024, SEI addressed the gaps in the Law Against Domestic Violence (LADV) identified un der the The Spotlight Initiative (SI) programme . In 2022, SI carried out a comprehensive study highlighting the gaps in legal frame o work which also included Law Against Domestic Violence (LADV), taking forward the recommendation of the study . In 2024, UN Women supported SEI in revising the LADV to ensure intersectional response to gender-based violence, particularly regarding providing adequate services to women and girls with disabilities, rural women and girls, and children. Th e revised LADV is pending review in 2025 . Additionally, UN Women supported SEI in monitoring the implementation of the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence (NAP-GBV). One of the key action points of NAP GBV was the data collection on GBV. Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted by INTEL (Department for Statistics, Government of Timor-Leste) provides this data it was last carried out in 2016 and the next will take place in and it will be carried out in 2025. In 2024, INTEL revised the upcoming DHS Questionnaire, making it more gender sensitive . UN Women and UNFPA contributed to INTEL’s efforts by particularly in strengthening the GBV section of the questionnaire including the GBV module, and supporting a gender thematic analysis of the Census data.

Government and non-governmental stakeholders’ capacities strengthened to assess and report on progress on the 2030 Agenda and other global normative and policy frameworks for GEWE and government accountability is strengthened (Contributes to UNSDCF Outcome 5)

Government and non-governmental stakeholders in Timor-Leste strengthened their capacities and accountability mechanisms to assess, report on, and advance progress on the 2030 Agenda and global normative frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). During the reporting period, progress was achieved in reinforcing the national legal, policy, and institutional architecture for GEWE, including the operationalization of the Interministerial Commission for the Coordination of the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) through Government Resolution No. 49/2024, and the issuance of Ministerial Dispatch No. 39/2024 regulating GBV prevention and response in higher education institutions. The adoption of the second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325, 2024–2028) further strengthened gender-responsive governance at national and sub-national levels, while UN Women’s technical support to the Secretary of State for Equality enhanced monitoring and implementation of the NAP-GBV. National and inter-agency capacities for evidence-based reporting and policy advocacy were further enhanced through increased investment in gender statistics and accountability systems. UN Women, in partnership with UNFPA and National Institute of Statistics, developed and launched the 2022 Timor-Leste Census Gender Thematic Analysis Report in April 2025. UN Women and UNFPA, as the co-chairs of GTG, played a key convening and coordination role, facilitating collaboration and validation across UN Agencies through the GTG, and strengthening collective advocacy for the systematic integration of gender perspectives into one of the most important national statistical processes. This joint initiative contributed to the production of gender data that captures gender-specific vulnerabilities, needs, and structural challenges across the population, which provides evidence that is critical for informed policymaking, planning, and resource allocation. The partnership between UN Women, UNFPA and the Government of Timor-Leste, reinforced by UN system-wide coordination, demonstrates the added value of strategic alliances in advancing national capacity for gender data analysis and in supporting evidence-based policies and programmes that drive the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment agenda, particularly as Timor-Leste reviews its progress on the implementation of the Beijing+30 commitments and CEDAW concluding observations in 2025. As Chair of the Gender Thematic Group (GTG), UN Women advanced the development of the Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP) and Municipality Gender Profiles, strengthening the availability and use of sex-disaggregated and intersectional data to inform gender-responsive planning and monitoring aligned with UNSDCF priorities. Collaboration with the National Institute of Statistics and engagement with government institutions, civil society organizations, and UN agencies ensured inclusive data generation, with particular attention to women’s economic empowerment, disability, and LGBTIQ inclusion. In parallel, multi-stakeholder coordination and national ownership of global GEWE commitments were reinforced through structured dialogue and preparedness for international reporting processes. A follow-up multi-stakeholder meeting convened by UN Women and the Secretary of State for Equality strengthened alignment and coordination among parliamentarians, government institutions, civil society, and UN agencies in preparation for Timor-Leste’s engagement in the High-Level Political Forum, building on lessons from CSW69. These efforts enhanced institutional readiness to engage in global accountability mechanisms, including the SDGs, CEDAW, UPR, CRPD, and CSW follow-up, and strengthened government accountability and reporting on GEWE commitments under UNSDCF Outcome 5.

Government and non-governmental stakeholders’ capacities strengthened to assess and report on progress on the 2030 Agenda and other global normative and policy frameworks for GEWE and government accountability is strengthened (Contributes to UNSDCF Outcome 5)

UN Women significantly increased the capacity of the national mediation, machinery i.e. National Directorate for Community Conflict Prevention (DNPCC) of Ministry of Interior in the country. Through UN Women’s technical support, the first National Mediation Network of Timor-Leste (“Rede Nasionál Mediasaun”) was officially established on 31 July 2023. Contributing to the Participation and Prevention Pillars under the National Action Plan on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325), the Network promotes participation and representation of women in all aspects of mediation and negotiation, and other peacebuilding processes of the country. Additionally, the DNPCC mediators resolved XX cases in 2023 as compared to 146 cases in 2022 (out of 319 cases registered in 12 municipalities and 1 special administrative region – 45.8% of cases resolved) in multiple areas, including land & property disputes, martial arts issues, social conflict, and disputes over natural resources. The number of women national mediators in DNPCC increased from 32% of 31 mediators in 2019 to 47% of 40 mediators in 2023, reaching towards gender parity. With the technical and advisory support of UN Women, the Ministry of Interior and the NAP 1325 Secretariat have demonstrated increased capacity in evaluating the results and reviewing the lessons learnt of the first National Action Plan on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325) through consultations and validation workshops in 2021-2022, which later informed the drafting of second NAP. The second NAP 1325 has been approved by the council of ministers.

Government and non-governmental stakeholders’ capacities strengthened to assess and report on progress on the 2030 Agenda and other global normative and policy frameworks for GEWE and government accountability is strengthened (Contributes to UNSDCF Outcome 5)

The capacity of the Government of Timor-Leste (including the Ministry of Interior and the Secretariat of State for Equality and Inclusion) in planning, implementing and monitoring and reporting its national commitment on GEWE in global normative framework has been strengthened. With the support of the UN and development partners, the SEII led the M&R and produced National Action Plan on GBV's monitoring reports in 2021 and 2022, and coordinated the development of the third National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence for period of 2022 – 2032. The third NAP GBV was approved by Council of Ministries on 28 September 2022, and will was launched in November 2022. With the technical and advisory support of UN Women, the Ministry of Interior and the NAP 1325 Secretariat have demonstrated increased capacity in evaluating the results and reviewing the lessons learnt of the first National Action Plan on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (NAP 1325) through consultations and validation workshops in 2021-2022, which later informed the drafting of second NAP. The MoI and line ministries have demonstrated increased national ownership of the WPS agenda with the government-led NAP development process, and implementation and monitoring mechanism in the second NAP 1325 framework. 13 line ministries (MoI, MEJD, MoJ, SEACLN, MSSI, MNEC, SEJD, SEPC, F-FDTL, MAE, MoD, SEII, PNTL) and 8 civil society organizations (ACbit, Rede Feto Secretariate, HAK Association, Fundasaun Alola, NGO Belun and ALFeLa) were involved in the planning and development of the second NAP 1325. The second NAP 1325 will be presented to Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in 2023, followed by the official launch.