Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão participated, through a video-recorded message, in the seminar “Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation as Means to Sustain Peace: Experiences from the g7+”, held on October 15^th, 2024, during the 11th edition of the Geneva Peace Week. The event, co-organised by the g7+ Secretariat, the Permanent Missions of Timor-Leste and Sierra Leone in Geneva and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the importance of promoting peace through dialogue and reconciliation in countries affected by conflict. 

During his speech, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão emphasised the importance of the reconciliation process for building a sovereign and peaceful state. “We couldn’t build a nation if we didn’t make peace with our enemy and with those who had harmed us. We knew that the first step in building a state had to be reconciliation”, he said, sharing Timor-Leste’s experience and the valuable lessons that can serve as an example to other nations in similar situations. 

Christine Löw, Deputy Head of Switzerland’s Peace and Human Rights Division, moderated the seminar, which featured prominent speakers, including Helder da Costa, Secretary General of the g7+, who presented the group’s initiatives to promote peaceful resolutions in member countries. Helder da Costa emphasised that ‘peace is not just an aspiration, but a reality long-awaited and deeply cherished by its peoples’, calling for solidarity and cooperation as essential principles for achieving lasting peace and stability in the world’s most vulnerable regions. 

Other panellists included Lurdes Bessa, Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to Geneva; Samuel Saffa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone; Bernard Duhaime, UN Special Rapporteur for Truth, Justice and Reconciliation; and Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Afghanistan. All emphasised the importance of truth, reconciliation and accountability as fundamental pillars in building sustainable peace. 

 The g7+ Secretariat also met with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to discuss cooperation in promoting peace and sustainable development in the g7+ countries.