President José Ramos-Horta awards Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste to UN Women Representative
DÍLI, 21 August 2026 (TATOLI) – The President of the Republic and Nobel Peace Laureate, José Ramos-Horta, awarded the Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste to Nishtha Satyam, the UN Women Representative in Timor-Leste, during a ceremony held at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace.
The Order of Timor-Leste is the nation’s highest honor, bestowed upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious service to the country.
Nishtha Satyam received the Medal of the Order of Timor-Leste under the Decree of the President of the Republic No. 93/2026, in recognition of her dedication, commitment, and contributions during her tenure as UN Women Representative in Timor-Leste.
Nishtha Satyam was appointed as the Head of Office for UN Women in Timor-Leste, the entity of the United Nations that is dedicated to working towards Gender Equality and Woman’s Empowerment in September 2021.
She was the former Deputy Country Representative for UN Women in India and served as the Acting Representative in India starting January 2018.
As the youngest woman to head a country office for UN Women amongst 193 countries, Nishtha Satyam is an unapologetic feminist, a trained economist with a keen interest in applied macroeconomic and fiscal policy.
In her long-standing career in the United Nations, she has worked across UN Women Offices, for a geo-politically diverse group of countries including India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Nishtha has also served as the Private Sector Partnerships Specialist with the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations and UNDP.
During her tenure as UN Women Representative over five years, Ms. Satyam moved gender equality from the mandate of a single Secretariat to the shared business of some eleven ministries and institutions including the Ministry of Interior, the Secretariat of State for Civil Protection, which nominated her for this award, the PNTL, the F-FDTL, SEFOPE and the National Parliament.
She brought technical rigour and quiet persuasion to the second National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence, the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, and the country’s first National Action Plan on Anti-Trafficking in Persons.
Under her leadership the National Police Force conducted its first gender audit and adopted its first gender strategy, and a whole-of-government programme on gender-responsive budgeting and expenditure tracking now ensures that money committed in the name of women reaches the pathways proven to deliver for them.
That policy legacy is matched by what she built alongside women themselves. She supported the establishment of Rede Soru Na’in, the first legally registered weavers’ network, now 1,000 members strong, earning USD 200,000 last year and contracting directly with government and entering the State Budget for the first time in 2026.
She backed women food vendors with solar-powered carts that secured both their produce and their place on the road, shaped Care Economy strategies protecting the rights of women migrating as domestic workers, won national recognition for women as first responders in disasters, and embedded Connect with Respect into the national school curriculum.
With modest resources she demonstrated models of change that work placing Timorese women at the centre of the national story as game changers, not victims.
President J. Ramos-Horta said: “Nishtha Satyam played a significant role in promoting women’s rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, and in strengthening women’s participation in Timorese society throughout her mission as UN Women Representative in Timor-Leste. She has contributed to the development of initiatives and policies aimed at advancing equality and women’s rights in our country. We honor her not only for the policies she helped shape but for the lives she has touched and the doors she has opened for generations of Timorese women to come.”
The President and the people of Timor-Leste extend their deepest gratitude to Nishtha Satyam for her years of service and wish her continued success in her future endeavors. This recognition stands as a testament to the enduring partnership between Timor-Leste and the United Nations in building a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
TATOLI
