On October 28th, 2024, the Secretary of State for Equality, Elvina Sousa Carvalho, took part in the Colloquium on the ‘Together for Equality Programme’, an event held in Dili aimed at strengthening institutional practices in the prevention of and response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Timor-Leste. Organised in partnership with United Nations agencies – UN Women, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – and with the financial support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the colloquium brought together representatives from various national and international entities. 
The event’s primary objectives were to promote knowledge sharing to foster collaboration and the exchange of best practices between partners, highlight the sustainable impact of effective interventions, which can serve as a model for broader adoption, develop action plans that support long-term sustainability, and encourage all stakeholders to maintain and expand institutional efforts to prevent and respond to GBV.
During the session, the significant achievements made by the Government, civil society and development partners over the past four years were highlighted, including a 37 per cent reduction in women and a 23 per cent reduction in men justifying violence. Other achievements include the inclusion of GBV and sexual health education in the curriculum of secondary schools, the creation of 34 trauma-informed support centres for survivors and the improvement of operational policies and procedures to ensure lasting impact. These initiatives have directly benefited more than 61,000 people and reached a population of more than 300,000 across the country. 
During her speech, Secretary of State Elvina Sousa Carvalho emphasised the Government’s commitment to promoting a safe and violence-free environment for women and girls: “We are all working together to combat violence against women and girls in Timor-Leste. This fight aims not only to achieve gender equality but also to build a future generation free from all forms of violence”, she said.
Elvina Sousa Carvalho added that “the Secretariat of State for Equality remains committed to strengthening the coordination of the Interministerial Commission for the implementation of the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence, with the reinforcement of monitoring and evaluation tools to measure progress, identify gaps and improve interventions in the future”.
The UN’s Acting Resident Coordinator, Arvind Mathur, also praised the joint efforts and the importance of equality-based education, saying that “integrating gender-based violence and health rights into our young people’s education is a step towards a future free of violence and rooted in equality”. 
Representatives from civil society, the Attorney General’s Office, KOICA, and other institutions working to prevent gender-based violence also participated in the conference. Throughout the event, training projects and social transformation initiatives were presented, from sexual health education in schools to strengthening access to health and justice services for victims of violence.
Wrapping up the conference, Secretary of State Elvina Sousa Carvalho expressed her gratitude to the UN agencies and all the partners working together towards a more equal and violence-free Timor-Leste.