Minister Agio Pereira meets the Executive Director and the International Advisory Board of the Chega! National Centre
On July 14th, 2026, at the Government Palace in Dili, Agio Pereira, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, welcomed Hugo Maria Fernandes, Executive Director of the Chega! National Centre, and members of the Chega! National Centre’s International Advisory Board as part of the advisory body’s annual visit to Timor-Leste. 
During the meeting, the Executive Director provided the Minister with an update on the activities of the Chega! National Centre between 2025 and 2026, including the development of ongoing programmes and the institution’s priorities for the coming year. The meeting also enabled members of the International Advisory Board to share their observations on the institution’s work and to exchange views with the Minister on the challenges and priorities related to the preservation of memory, the promotion of human rights, and the implementation of the recommendations of the Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation Commission (CAVR – acronym in Portuguese) and the Truth and Friendship Commission (CVA – acronym in Portuguese).
The International Advisory Council’s visit will run from July 12th to 18th and form part of the council’s annual meeting, which is dedicated to reviewing the 2025 activity report, assessing progress on the 2026 programmes, reviewing the impact assessment report, and preparing the 2027 action plan. The programme also includes an international conference on the theme “Truth, Memory, and Justice: Comparative Experiences of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (CVR – acronym in Portuguese)” and celebrations marking the ninth anniversary of the Chega! National Centre.
The International Advisory Board comprises experts with recognised experience in human rights, transitional justice, historical memory, and reconciliation. The current members of this body are Galuh Wandita Soedjatmoko (Indonesia), Sandra Marisa Martins Ramos Gonçalves (Portugal), David Scott Webster (Canada), Akihisa Matsuno (Japan), Alan Michael Lapsley (South Africa), Augusto Jr. Miclat (Philippines), Eduardo Gonzales (Peru), Khoo Ying Hooi (Malaysia), Nisay Hang (Cambodia), and Patrick Ernest Walsh (Australia). Its members provide strategic advice to the Chega! National Centre, supporting the definition of institutional priorities, monitoring the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation (CAVR) and the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CVA), and strengthening cooperation between the Centre and national and international institutions.
The International Advisory Board of the Chega! National Centre was appointed for the 2023–2026 term and meets annually in Timor-Leste to monitor the institution’s development and support its mission to preserve historical memory, promote human rights, and strengthen reconciliation processes.
