Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI) has invited Members of National Parliament to take a part in a meeting of the Commission Assembly on the Status of Women (CWS) in New York.
Secretary of State Idelta Maria Rodrigues said as Timor-Leste ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the country is obliged to participate in this assembly.
Several years ago at that assembly, representatives of Parliament from other nations in the world took part, with only Timor-Leste not taking part.
“I have talked to UN Women and I hope this year, members of Parliament will represent their country by taking part in the world assembly in New York,” SE Rodrigues said in Dili.
She said the meeting, which ran March 10 to 14 was entitled “Obstacles to the Implementation of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).
All nations involved delivered reports on their progress and challenges to the achievement of these goals. Women’s Parliamentary Group (GMPTL) president MP Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares said she considered the government of Timor-Leste had failed to implement the MDG plan as up to five homes built for the project were abandoned in each sub-village.
The Fretilin MP said Timor-Leste also had high rates of maternal mortality and poor reproductive health outcomes. Gains in the areas of addressing malnutrition were negligible and some students are still forced to sit on the floor in classrooms.
