Government of Timor-Leste

Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and

Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste

Díli, October 8, 2013

Timor-Leste advocates the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding agenda at the 2013 United Nations General Assembly

H.E. Taur Matan Ruak, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, led the Timor-Leste Delegation to the 2013 United Nations General Assembly. Also representing Timor-Leste were Minister of State and of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, H.E. José Luís Guterres, Minister of Finance H.E. Emília Pires and Minister of Education H.E. Bendito Freitas.

The yearly forum, held each September, sees world leaders from United Nations member states come together to report on country and regional conditions as well as to meet and discuss a wide spectrum of collective global challenges.

This year was the first year that Timor-Leste has attended the General Assembly after the successful completion of the United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) in December 2012. The successful withdrawal of UNMIT from Timor-Leste has been hailed as a major milestone in the development trajectory of Timor-Leste with National Authorities thriving in Statebuilding capacities cross sectors. The national security sector in particular has been lauded for keeping peace and stability in the country.

The President, in his address to the General Assembly said “The Timorese people now hold, in their own hands, the full responsibility for the construction of their future. The country faces the challenges with high hopes and optimism”.

All members of the Timor-Leste delegation fulfilled a busy program of events and meetings whilst in New York. Minister Guterres participated in bilateral meetings including ceremonies establishing diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago, Latvia and Lithuania. Also an agreement on Technical Cooperation was signed with the Argentine Republic. Amongst a number of High-Level gatherings attended, he was a panellist at an event co hosted by Timor-Leste, Finland, Guatemala, the Philippines and Rwanda called "Ensure Peaceful, Just and Resilient Societies in the Post-2015 Development Agenda". During this event his reflections on the peacebuilding journey of Timor-Leste were received with great interest.

Minister of Finance, H.E. Emília Pires, participated in many events and meetings including her presentation on behalf of Timor-Leste during a Round Table Intervention at the “Special Event on Accelerating Progress towards the MDGs’’. She also represented Timor-Leste as chair of the g7+ during a High-Level Ministerial Breakfast Meeting hosted by Timor-Leste, South Sudan and Denmark called "Putting Peace at the Heart of Sustainable Development." This event provided an opportunity for Timor-Leste to promote the Peacebuilding and Statebuilding agenda and urge the international community to prioritize Peace as a critical foundation to sustainable development. The g7+ reiterated their flagship statement “Without peace there can be no development and without development there can be no peace.”

Through its chairing role of the g7+ Timor-Leste has brought a unique experience in country owned and country led strategies for exiting fragility through Peacebuilding and Statebuilding to the global agenda. The g7+ forum of 18 fragile and conflict-affected states continues to lobby the international community to change the way of traditional engagement to a new model based on results and value for money for more effective, long-term results.

Minister Freitas, amongst other presentations, delivered a key address at the “Human Right to Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda Event” where he discussed the role of education in Timor-Leste and made proposals for the role of education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. He said that “Education is the important path towards peace, development and respect for human rights.”

Spokesperson for the Fifth Constitutional Government Minister Agio Pereira noted that “the delegation has made an important contribution in New York, increasing Timor-Leste’s visibility on the global stage, establishing new networks of cooperation and advocating for the peacebuilding and statebuilding agenda. These efforts will benefit both Timor-Leste and other countries finding their way to resilience”.