National Commemoration Highlights Commitment to the Rights of People with Disabilities
On 4 July 2025, the IX Constitutional Government, through the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), marked the National Day of People with Disabilities at a ceremony held at the Municipal Centre for Social Solidarity and Inclusion in Manatuto. The initiative was attended by representatives of line ministries, people with disabilities and their families, representatives of the United Nations, the diplomatic corps and civil society organizations, under the slogan ‘Promoting the Rights of People with Disabilities through the Government's Commitment to Leave No One Behind.’ 
The Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Verónica das Dores, highlighted the joint efforts of government institutions and development partners to promote inclusion, stressing that Timor-Leste submitted the Implementation Report of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to the United Nations in June 2025. She also added that, in addition to the commemorative ceremony, MSSI distributed food and support equipment, such as wheelchairs and medical assistance vehicles, to people with disabilities living in the administrative posts of Soibada, Lakló and Vila de Manatuto, who were unable to travel to the event. 
In a message delivered by the Chief of Staff, Jesuína Maria Ferreira Gomes, the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, said that the theme chosen for this year - ‘Promoting the rights of people with disabilities through the government's commitment to leaving no one behind’ - is ‘a clear call to action’, centered on the need to ‘ensure that no person with a disability is excluded, fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely the goal of Reducing Inequalities.’
The Head of State also said that the ‘National Action Plan for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities 2021-2030 represents a fundamental milestone, providing for inclusion in the education, health, employment, justice and civic participation sectors’ and called for the need to "strengthen the role of Disabled People's Organizations - as protagonists and active partners in policymaking. The voices of people with disabilities must be at the center of the decisions that affect them
On behalf of the President of the Republic, the Chief of Staff also encouraged ‘all sectors of society and development partners to promote more initiatives that reinforce this inclusion, including public debates, awareness campaigns, talent exhibitions, accessibility training and concrete actions with practical and lasting results. END 
