Timor-Leste submitted its second report as part of its Universal Periodic Review to the United Nations Human Rights Council, on the Human Rights situation in the country, on November 3rd, 2016. The submission of the report took place in the Human Rights and Citizenship Room of the Palace of Nations, in Geneva (Switzerland).
The Minister of Justice, Ivo Valente, acting as Head of the National Delegation, stated that “Timor-Leste is the result of an ideal of dignity, self-determination and freedom, and the international protection of human rights has played a fundamental role in the creation of the Timorese State”. Ivo Valente reaffirmed Timor-Leste’s unequivocal commitment to upholding human rights. The Minister of Justice stressed the importance of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism to reflect on and assess the compliance with human rights all over the world.
The meeting was strengthened by the recognition of Timor-Leste’s remarkable progress made in the area of human rights, expressed by the positive and congratulatory statements made by the majority of the 61 States, which attended this 26th Session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review.
Timor-Leste has received some 174 recommendations from Member States, which mainly focus on issues related to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, women and children, as well as issues of gender equality and access to justice, health and education. The need to improve human rights monitoring mechanisms and to fulfil the obligations under ratified international instruments was also mentioned. An appeal has been made to Timor-Leste to ratify certain human rights instruments, which it has not yet adhered to, in particular the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
On November 8th, the Report of the 26th Session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review was approved. A consultation procedure with the relevant stakeholders at national level, led by the Ministry of Justice, will now be followed, to define the position of Timor-Leste on the received recommendations. The result should be reported to the Human Rights Council within a maximum of 3 months.
Apart from Minister Ivo Valente, the Ambassador of Timor-Leste in Geneva, Marciano da Silva, and representatives of the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Defence, Education, Health and Social Solidarity and their technical team attended the meeting.
The Universal Periodic Review is a mechanism of the Human Rights Council, which covers the 193 Member States of the United Nations. Since its first session in April 2008, all of them have been reviewed during the 1st Cycle. Under the 2nd Cycle, the situations of 182 Member States have already been reviewed. This new cycle analyses each country’s progress in the human rights situation since their first review; each State has the possibility to underline the actions and concrete measures taken to implement the recommendations received from the previous Review Cycle.
The first Universal Periodic Review of Timor-Leste took place in October 2011, and the country received 125 recommendations, of which 124 were it agreed with, and which compliance was assessed under the second report, now submitted.
The reports which have served as a basis for Timor-Leste’s second review are available at http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/TLSession26.aspx
The Timor-Leste session was broadcast live on the United Nations live webcast, and can be viewed in full on webtv.un.org.