First visit to Timor-Leste by UN Special Rapporteur

11 November 2011

First visit to Timor-Leste by UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and
human rights

GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and
human rights, Magdalena Sepúlveda, will conduct an official mission to
Timor-Leste from 13 to 18 November 2011 to collect first-hand information
on the situation of people living in extreme poverty and to understand the
initiatives taken by the authorities to improve their situation.

Despite receiving substantial international development assistance over
the past decade, Timor-Leste remains one of the poorest countries in the
world. “After years of struggle for independence, the persistence of
extreme poverty is among the critical challenges for Timor-Leste today,”
said Ms. Sepúlveda. It is crucial to assess to what extent development
efforts and Government policies are effective in improving the situation
of those who are most in need, such as women, children, persons with
disabilities and other groups that are vulnerable to discrimination and
social exclusion,” the Special Rapporteur urged.

The Special Rapporteur will devote specific attention to social protection
efforts, such as cash transfers to those living in poverty. “Social
protection policies are of great importance to lift people out of poverty
and human rights norms and standards require official support to these
initiatives”.

The Special Rapporteur will hold meetings with senior Government
officials, including representatives from various ministries working on
social policies. She will meet also with representatives of the United
Nations system, the donor community and non-governmental organizations.
During her mission, Ms. Sepúlveda will visit communities living in poverty
in Dili as well as in rural areas in other districts. Her findings and
recommendations will be presented in a report to the Human Rights Council
in 2012.

The Special Rapporteur will present her preliminary observations on the
mission at a press conference at 11:30am on 18 November 2011 at the United
Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) compound in Dili.

ENDS

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