UN Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste congratulates the country for becoming a member to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

DILI, Timor-Leste 22 January 2022 – On behalf of the UN Country Team I would like to congratulate Timor-Leste for becoming a State party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities effective 17 January 2023. Timor-Leste now joins 185 other members to the Convention.

“It is an important decision of the Government of Timor-Leste as the Convention underlines the universality of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the right of persons with disabilities to the equal and effective enjoyment of these legal guarantees, in a way that is respectful and accommodating of their differences, including recognizing sex/gender-based differences” said Funmi Balogun, UN Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste. “Persons with disabilities are not ‘objects’ of charity, medical treatment and social protection. Instead, they must be viewed as ‘subjects’ with rights, agency and who can claim those rights and make decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent, as well as being active members of society,” Ms. Balogun added.
The UN Country Team in Timor-Leste hopes that the accession to the Convention and its will provide a strong legal basis for the guarantee of equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in Timor-Leste, through the elimination of all those barriers which exclude or restrict their full participation. “The United Nations in Timor-Leste stands ready to assist the Government in this regard, as well as to support persons with disabilities and the civil society organizations that represent them, to promote inclusion and advocate for the implementation of the provisions enshrined in the Convention now that it has entered into effect in Timor-Leste,” UN Resident Coordinator noted.