Statement by UN Resident Coordinator Roy Trivedy

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team in Timor-Leste, I congratulate the Government for today’s approval of a draft resolution to be submitted to Parliament for Timor-Leste to become a State party to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as the Optional Protocol to this Convention. Following Parliament’s approval of the ratification and its deposition to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Timor-Leste will join the current 185 States Parties to the Convention and the 100 State Parties to the Optional Protocol.

I am reminded of the words of our Secretary-General Antonio Guterres here. He said, “We need everyone, including persons with disabilities, onboard to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Around the world, persons with disabilities and their representative organisations are taking action to realise the call: ‘Nothing about us, without us’”.

It was due time for the Government to take such an important decision. The Convention underlines the universality of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the right of persons with disabilities to the equal effective enjoyment of these legal guarantees in a way that is respectful and accommodating of their differences.

The ratification will bring about lasting and transformative change in Timor-Leste’s standing on disability inclusion across its policies, programmes and operations. It will help ensure that people (men, women and children) with disabilities have access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, as well as to participate and be involved in all aspects of society.

I hope that the ratification of the Convention and its Optional Protocol 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.

United Nations stands with the people and Government of Timor-Leste, civil society, also including the organisations of persons with disabilities, the private sector, and the media, to assist in effectively implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol to tackle the obstacles, the injustices and the discrimination that persons with disabilities experience.

Realising the rights of persons with disabilities is crucial to fulfilling the core promise of the 2030 Agenda: to leave no one behind. That is our goal.

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Atu garante direitu ema ho defisiénsia sira-nian presiza atu defende valór no prinsípiu sira karta Nasoins Unidas nian.

Lori ekipa Nasoins Unidas nia naran iha Timor-Leste, ha'u hato'o parabéns ba Governu nebe aprova ona ohin proposta rezolusaun ne'ebé sei entrega ba Parlamentu Nasionál, atu Timor-Leste sai nu'udar Estadu parte ba Konvensaun kona-ba direitu ema ho defisiénsia sira-nian no mós protokolu opsional ba Konvensaun ida-ne'e. Hafoin aprovasaun husi Parlamentu Nasionál ba ratifikasaun no ninia depozisaun ba Sekretariu-Jeral Nasoins Unidas nian Timor-Leste sei hola parte iha Estadu parte atuál sira hamutuk 185 no Estadu parte 100 ba Konvensaun no protokolu opsional.

Ha'u hanoin fali ba ita-nia Sekretáriu Jerál António Guterres nia liafuan nebeé. Nia dehan "Ita presiza ema hotu-hotu inklui ema ho defisiénsia sira atu alkansa objetivu sira husi dezenvolvimentu sustentavel." Iha mundu tomak ema ho defisiénsia sira no sira-nia organizasaun sira-ne'e foti asaun atu realiza apelu ne'e “ la iha buat ida kona ba ita,  se la ho ita”.

Tempu opurtunu duni ba Governu atu foti desizaun importante ne'e. Konvensaun ne'e subliña universalidade direitu umanu no liberdade fundamentál hotu-hotu no direitu ema ho defisiénsia sira-nian ba goza efetivu husi garantia legál sira-ne'e ho maneira ne'ebé respeita no akomoda sira-nia diferensa.

Ratifikasaun sei lori mudansa ba tempu naruk no transformativu iha Timor-Leste nia relasaun ho Inkluzaun defisiénsia iha ninia programa no operasaun polítika sira. Ida ne'e sei ajuda garante katak ema sira (mane sira feto no labarik sira) ho defisiénsia iha asesu ba Edukasaun, saúde no oportunidade sira empregu no mós atu partisipa no envolve iha aspetu hotu-hotu sosiedade nian.

Ha'u hein katak ratifikasaun Konvensaun no protokolu opsional ne'e nian sei fó baze legál ida-ne'ebé forte atu garante oportunidade ne'ebé hanesan ba ema ho defisiénsia sira iha Timor-Leste liuhusi halakon tiha bareira sira-ne'e hotu ne'ebé esklui ka limita sira-nia partisipasaun tomak.

Nasoins Unidas hamriik hamutuk ho povu no Governu Timor-Leste, sosiedade sivíl inklui mós organizasaun ema ho defisiénsia sira, setór privadu no média sira, atu tulun hodi implementa ho efetivu Konvensaun kona-ba direitu ema ho defisiénsia sira-nian no protokolu opsional atu hatán ba obstákulu sira ne'ebé hasoru injustisa no diskriminasaun ne'ebé ema ho defisiénsia sira hasoru.

Realiza duni direitu ema ho defisiénsia sira-nian ne'e importante atu kumpre promesa fundamentál husi ajenda 2030 ne'ebé koko atu la husik ema ida iha kotuk. Ne'e mak ita-nia planu.