Outcome TLS_D_3.1

By 2025, the most excluded people of Timor-Leste are empowered to claim their rights, including freedom from violence, through accessible, accountable and gender responsive governance systems, institutions and services at national and subnational levels (UNSDCF OUTCOME 5)

In 2024, the Ministry of Education in Timor-Leste committed to integrating the Connect with Respect (CwR)curriculum into the Grade 7 national syllabus, with a nationwide rollout planned for 2025. This landmark decision marks a pivotal achievement in embedding gender-sensitive education within the foundation of Timor-Leste’s education system. The adoption of CwR is a key result of the Together for Equality (T4E) joint program, led by UN Women, which has been instrumental in advancing gender equality and preventing gender-based violence (GBV) across the country. The CwR program, piloted in 30 schools across four municipalities, directly engaged 1,983 participants, including 922 students, 905 parents, and 156 teachers. Pre- and post-test assessments demonstrated significant impact, with 85.7% of 1,168 assessed participants showing improved knowledge of gender equality and GBV prevention. The curriculum addressed critical issues such as GBV, cyberbullying, and healthy communication, equipping participants with the skills to foster inclusive and respectful environments. An endline survey highlighted a 36.7% reduction among females and a 23.3% reduction among males in justifying acts of violence, underscoring the program’s effectiveness in challenging harmful norms and promoting safer, more equitable communities. A core component of CwR’s success was its strategic engagement with men and boys, which aimed to dismantle harmful masculinities and encourage shared responsibility in ending violence. By involving male role models and community leaders, the program reshaped perceptions of gender roles and violence acceptability, positioning gender equality and violence prevention as societal imperatives. This inclusive approach aligned with a human rights-based framework, advancing the vision of freedom from violence and discrimination for all. Beyond individual transformation, the program addressed structural barriers by embedding gender equality principles into the education system and fostering inclusivity for marginalized groups, including rural women and LGBTIQ+ communities. By empowering these populations with knowledge and resources, the initiative directly tackled the normalization of violence and improved access to gender-sensitive support systems. Media partnerships amplified the program’s impact by spreading messages of respect, equality, and non-violence through radio, television, and social media campaigns. These efforts reached remote and rural areas, where traditional gender norms are deeply entrenched, and provided a platform for survivors and advocates to share their stories, influencing public discourse on GBV. The Ministry of Education's adoption of the CwR curriculum represents a significant milestone, achieved through the strategic collaboration of diverse actors under the T4E program. By creating sustainable pathways for long-term social change, UN Women and its partners have demonstrated the transformative power of collective action in building a respectful, inclusive, and violence-free society.

By 2025, the most excluded people of Timor-Leste are empowered to claim their rights, including freedom from violence, through accessible, accountable and gender responsive governance systems, institutions and services at national and subnational levels (UNSDCF OUTCOME 5)

There is evidence of strategies and activities that are gender transformative, gender-inclusive and gender-sensitive across the programme. Spotlight Interventions utilised a range of modalities with a strong focus on education and training for youth and community members, health care workers and other key service providers on gender rights, sexual reproductive health, child protection and response to gender-based violence (GBV). Many activities include women, men, girls, and boys and aim to implement systems that will result in a long-term change in attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. This included, for example, work with the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) to include the Connect with Respect curriculum in its pre-secondary curriculum reform, sensitizing students aged 11-14 on issues of gender-based violence and harassment. The application of a human rights-based approach by the Spotlight programme is supported by the Spotlight Learning Consortium of CSOs representing constituencies including men and boys, LGBTQI persons, people living with disabilities, survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), and a human rights group. There is evidence across activities of a ‘leave no-one behind’ approach, with the involvement of organisations representing the LGBTQI community, people living with disabilities, youth, and women in the capital city of Dili as well as in the peripheral areas where the programme is implemented. Ninety-five percent of survey respondents believe that all relevant stakeholders are included in the programme. An additional 66 percent of respondents feel that marginalised and other left behind groups benefit from the programme to a considerable or to a great degree with 18 percent reporting to a moderate degree and 14 percent reporting not at all or to a small degree. UN Women service through Plan International Timor-Leste was able to organize initial discussion with key stakeholder on Gender Based Violence prevention strategy, by linking with CSOs and Key Government actors (Ministry of Education Youths and Sport, and Secretary of state for Equality and Inclusion) and sharing their point of view regarding behavioral and attitudinal change toward ending violence against women and girl at home, school and community, by using respect frameworks, social ecological model for change of people's behaviors and attitude in different levels. The messages are channeled using the social ecological model as effective tools that can be used for transformation delivery through media social by key actors of Government and CSOs. Moreover, UN Women contributed to the validation report by providing technical expertise from Melbourne university to complete the participatory research activity on the impact of the implementation of the law against domestic violence, access to justice, and care services for women and girls survivors of violence. This report was then produced, validated, and shared with stakeholders including government Secretary of state for equality and inclusion, Ministry of Interior - national Direction of community conflict prevention, Ministry of Foreign Affair, National Police, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Secretary of State for Communication, CSOs such as organization of person with disabilities, and women's organization, Pradet, CODIVA, other international agency such as USAID. With financial and technical support from the UN Women, CODIVA and ARCOIRIS organizations, promoted LGBTI rights and ensure their access to service providers at municipality levels. In coordination with 32 partners, this promotion of rights reached 500 LGBTI group members at 2 target municipalities such as Ermera and Viqueque. The key findings of the midterm evaluation indicated that the programme interventions are well designed and reflect the Spotlight principles. They are context-specific, adopt a human rights-based approach and gender transformative. The programme responds to national priorities and is aligned with the National Action Plan for Gender Based Violence. The programme was also developed in consultation with government, CSOs and other large EVAWG programmes i.e. funded by DFAT and KOICA. The implementation of Spotlight Phase 2 will be depending on the available funds from donor in June 2022 onwards.

By 2025, the most excluded people of Timor-Leste are empowered to claim their rights, including freedom from violence, through accessible, accountable and gender responsive governance systems, institutions and services at national and subnational levels (UNSDCF OUTCOME 5)

The 40 th UPR recommendation provided to Timor-Leste under the thematic area of discrimination against women - Promote gender equality and better protect the rights of vulnerable groups, such as women and children and address issues of gender inequality by implementing policies and practices to reduce domestic violence and other discrimination against women and girls. UN Women (UNW) is supporting the government in operationalising this recommendation by leveraging its UN coordination mandate. In 2023 UN led the joint UN effort to contribute to accelerating efforts for gender equality to bring about transformative change. Specifically, in Timor-Leste, as part of 5DG 5, UNW supported the national partners to integrate and implement the Connect with Respect (CWR) Framework. UNW in Timor influenced the education system towards changing and harmful social norms engaging men and boys and women and girls, to challenge stereotypes and foster respectful relationships. 28 schools in Timor-Leste adopted Connect with Respect curriculum. The curriculum is a set of extracurricular programs that focus on developing skills and networks to change harmful social norms engaging students (both boys and girls), teachers, and parents. The curriculum has thus far reached out to 923 students (499 girls and 424 boys) and 113 teachers (47 female and 66 male) in the 28 schools and 848 parents of the students consisting of 546 women and 302 men, promoting gender equality and nurturing respectful relationships among students. In a first of its kind Federation of Basketball Timor Leste's (FNBTL), adopted a comprehensive code of conduct that manifests a commitment to preventing gender-based violence and fostering secure and respectful environments. The National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL) established a counselling service to specifically address Sexual Harassment (SH) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The establishment of a counselling room facility has reduced the structural barrier for women and girls in need of essential services. This achievement is further bolstered by quarterly mock sessions that ensured the quality and availability of counseling services, demonstrating a proactive approach that contributed to effective communication and enhanced accessibility. The CwR framework has been operationalised through partnership with educational institutions, nodal government agency - Sate Secretary for Inclusion (SEI) and Ministry of Education, civil society organisations - plan international and FOKUPER and UN Agencies - UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA. The CwR framework is being implemented as part of the Joint Programme - Together for Equality (T4E) and it brings together 4 partnering UN Agencies. Through the T4E coordination committee UNW pushes the agenda of EVAW through social behaviour change in the UNCT. The results of the programme contribute directly to outcome 2 and 5 of the UNSDCF.

By 2025, the most excluded people of Timor-Leste are empowered to claim their rights, including freedom from violence, through accessible, accountable and gender responsive governance systems, institutions and services at national and subnational levels (UNSDCF OUTCOME 5)

-Through the Joint UN Project Together for Equality: Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Timor-Leste (2020-2024), the United Nations has a goal for women and girls in Timor-Leste to be empowered to enjoy their right to live free of sexual harassment and other forms of violence in public and private spaces and to access quality essential services. The focus in 2022 is on the efforts to prevent violence before it begins, interventions addressing Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) in 2022, the project reached xxx individuals (including young people and groups often facing discrimination), and support families and communities to gain the knowledge and skills to be agents of change and stand up against sexual harassment and other forms of GBV. In 2022, the project has established partnership to provide technical supports with Ministry of Education for implementing whole school prevention of gender based violence, Ministry of Public Works in enhacing urban planning and gender responsive infrastructure, Covalima Municipal Authority and Special Administrative Region Oecusse-Ambeno on gender-responsive budgeting for enhancing safety in public spaces and continued its partnership with Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL) on Safe Campus Initiative, Baucau Municipal Authority (BMA) on gender responsive governance through Safe Baucau and Safe Market Initiative.