DILI, 05 july 2023 (TATOLI) – The International Peace Foundation planned to implement its program called “Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace’ in Timor-Leste, between november and april 2025.
Over the six months, many Nobel Peace Prize laureates will be invited as keynote speakers to share their experiences in physics, chemistry, medicine, and economics.
“We would like to bring this program to Timor-Leste. This means that we will have many Nobel Peace Prize Laureates who have won prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, and economics to speak at the National University of Timor-Lorosa’e (UNTL) and visit schools to see how they can contribute to Timor-Leste in the long term,” Chairman of the Board Directors of the IPF, Uwe Morawetz told reporters after meeting President Horta at the Presidential Palace, in Dili, today.
He said that the Nobel Peace Prize laureates will come to Timor-Leste and stay for at least a week to learn about the country: “We don’t just want them to talk, but also want them to listen and see how they can be a fuse for Timor-Leste in the long term.”
These laureates will also help the research programs with the universities in the field of medicine, physic, chemistry, economics, and science and technology.
“We would like them to become ambassadors for Timor-Leste when they return to the US, UK, or other European countries to talk about the good experiences here in Timor-Leste and to promote Timor-Leste to the world. Therefore, through this exchange program, we want to build long-term bridges between the world and Timor-Leste,” Morawetz said.
He added that Timorese students will also be invited to work in the laboratories abroad so that they will have the possibility to visit the US and EU countries in the long term to learn more about science and technology.
The program has been implemented in several ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Laos since 1999.
President Horta has been a keynote speaker on several occasions, including in Thailand when he was Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs back in the early 2000s.
“José Ramos Horta has been our patron since the foundation of IPF in 1999. Therefore, we want to dedicate this program to President Horta in Timor-Leste. He is a great inspiration not only for IPF but also for young people,” He stressed.
Morawetz informed that the IPF will have two years to prepare for the implementation of the program in the country: “We want to talk to universities, schools, and decision-makers to compose a powerful program.”
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
