DILI, 02 october 2024 (TATOLIO) – The European Union is providing financial support to Rede Feto Timor-Leste (RFTL, the Women’s Network of Timor-Leste) for their organization of a series of Women’s Municipal Conferences. Through the conferences, RFTL will consult with women from all over the country on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in Timor-Leste. The inputs will feed into Women’s Platform of Action, used to record and monitor commitments and achievements in promoting GEWE, and will drive its advocacy work on government laws, policies, systems, and programmes.
The conferences will be held in all municipalities, and culminate in the country’s sixth Women’s National Congress in Dili. Participants will include women from various sectors (e.g. agriculture, education, entrepreneurship, health, politics, women’s associations), from sub-district and village levels as well as municipal capitals. The conferences cover two days each, and include presentations of the Platform of Action monitoring results, group discussions on eight thematic areas (Justice; Education; Health; Economy and Employment; Politics and Public Life; Social Inclusion; Environment and Climate Change; Gender Mainstreaming), as well as the identification and election of women delegates for the National Congress.
Rede Feto Timor-Leste is a network of organizations working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through advocacy, networking, strengthening institutions and capacity building. Rede Feto’s constituency is made up of 46 member organizations of which 27 are active in delivering services and advocating in all of Timor-Leste’s municipalities.
“We proudly partner with Rede Feto in the ongoing struggle for gender equality and women’s empowerment in Timor-Leste. This must include the regular consultation of women in their broadest representation, to inform them as well as to be informed by them. Other key aspects of this struggle are civil society monitoring of government performance and civil society advocacy for its improvement. Rede Feto and its members are ideally positioned to undertake these vital tasks’, said Chrstoph Sorg, Deputy Head of Mission of the Europen Union to Timor-Leste.
“We really appreciate the support from EU, as we noted that EU has strong commitment in promoting gender equality and women empowerment through various support such as Spotlight initiatives, women empowerment and advocacy for women right issues. We are happy to say that the support of EU is very significant for women conferences in 13 municipalities which will spend 6 weeks to complete the conferences then the culmination of this conferences is the National Women Congress”, said Zelia Fernandes, President of the Board of Rede Feto Timor-Leste.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
