Timor-Leste

Introduction

School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) refers to acts or threats of sexual, physical, or psychological violence occurring in and around schools, perpetrated as a result of gender norms and stereotypes and enforced by unequal power dynamics (see figure 1).

The security environment of South East Asia is making more and more headlines and is increasing cause of concern. While old tensions and conflicts remain, China’s rise as a military power and its claims on the South China Sea not only add a new element of insecurity but also draw other powers into the mix. As this paper documents, states in South East Asia have significantly increased their military spending, their arms acquisitions and their arms inventories over the past decade. This growth has outpaced the global trend and the trends of most other regions.

New York - The Spotlight Initiative’s Operational Steering Committee has approved €122 million for new investments across 12 countries and programmes in the Caribbean, Central Asia and Pacific regions.

The approved funds will kick-start programmes to end violence against women and girls in Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, and a new regional programme in the Pacific.

East Asia and the Pacific, which is home to 70 per cent of people affected by disasters globally, is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. Climate change, rapid urbanization, migration and population growth have deepened the risks to the most vulnerable communities.

Unpacking UNDP’s Gender Mainstreaming

Welcome to the fourth edition of our bi-annual Gender Equality newsletter from UNDP in Asia and the Pacific!

20-22 November 2019 - In commemoration of the World Tsunami Awareness Day (5 November 2019) the Government of Indonesia and the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission partnered to strengthen tsunami early warning and protect critical infrastructure.

In Numbers

9.7 mt of Super Cereal distributed to 1,619 pregnant and breastfeeding women.

WFP reached 350 community members through 13 nutrition education sessions and cooking demonstrations in five municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera and Oecusse).

US$ 1.75 m six months (November 2019 – April 2020) net funding requirements

People assisted: Women 1678 Men 123 Total 1801

Operational Updates

Violence against women and girls is a fundamental violation of human rights. Violence endangers the lives of women and girls and restricts their participation in economic and social life. The Australian Government is committed to ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) in Australia and overseas. Australian aid investments are supporting countries in the Indo-Pacific to address gender-based violence as a human rights and gender equality imperative while improving services and access to justice for survivors.

Maumetalao is a coastal village near the Banda Sea on the north coast of Timor-Leste. Changing weather patterns have wreaked havoc on life here, bringing extended droughts to areas that were already facing poverty.

In Numbers

3.888mt of Super Cereal distributed to 648 pregnant and nursing women

WFP reached 1,441 community members through 26 nutrition education sessions and cooking demonstrations in five municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera and Oecusse).

Operational Updates

Around one third of the food globally produced is estimated to be lost or wasted along the supply chain. These losses affect disproportionally developing countries, which have the highest numbers of hungry and malnourished people.

Addressing these food losses is key to developing a sustainable and environmentally neutral food system, ensuring that everyone is adequately fed while the environment is protected. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognized the importance of this issue, and called for food loss to be halved by 2030 through the SDG Target 12.3.

In Numbers

18 nutrition education sessions and cooking demonstrations were organized in 5 municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera and Oecusse), reaching 854 community members.

US$ 1.99 m six months (September 2019 – February 2020) net funding requirements

Operational Updates

Foreword

Dr. José Ramos-Horta

Strategies for managing disaster risk currently rely on weather forecasts (daily to 10 days) and seasonal predictions (three to six months). Until recently, the subseasonal scale (defined as timescale from two weeks to two months) has been considered a "predictability desert" because it has not been possible to provide accurate predictions for this timescale. As a result, many preparedness activities are held off until short-range weather forecasts indicate that a hazard is imminent and the exact location is known, so that resources are not wasted in the case of a false alarm.

In Numbers

15 nutrition education sessions and cooking demonstrations were organized in 5 municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera and Oecusse), reaching 708 community members.

US$ 2.0m six months (August 2019 – January 2020) net funding requirements

Operational Updates

Youth attending 10 Salesian schools, centers and parishes in East Timor have access to better nutrition thanks to a partnership between Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and Rise Against Hunger, an international relief organization that provides food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable.

SG/SM/19717

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the event in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the referendum in Timor-Leste, in New York today:

It is with emotion, humility and joy that I join this celebration and convey to the people of Timor-Leste my most fraternal greetings. I have always been a strong advocate for the people of Timor-Leste and their undeniable right to self-determination.