UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 22) Timor-Leste acknowledges that it has not yet ratified the CRPD, however now it is making preparations for the ratification process. The Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MFAC) has established a team to make preparations for ratification.

National Report:
Para 67) The Government has taken all steps to establish the principle of equality without discrimination and equal treatment for all people, to ensure that women and men have the same rights to immovable property, to protect and promote the right to equality in all circumstances. The provisions on equality are set out in Law No. 3/2017 Against Human Trafficking, Law No. 12/2016 on the Creation of a Contributory Regime for Security Social and Law No. 13/2017 Special Regime on the Definition of Ownership of Real Estate.

UN Compilation:
Para 48) The United Nations country team stated that despite advances to protect and promote women’s rights, the integration of women’s human rights into legislation still lacked a systematic and comprehensive approach, rendering many laws gender-blind or noncompliant with international gender commitments. Women were often reluctant to claim their rights, and in cases in which they did, customary norms could guide the process. For example, customary norms in accessing and inheriting land were deeply gendered and did not reflect women’s rights under the new Land Law (2017).

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 10) PDHJ noted that women’s inheritance rights and rights to property and land upon divorce remained an issue, due to the patrilineal systems that dominated in traditional law that ensured in most parts of the country only men inherited/possessed the land and property of the family or couple. Lack of marriage registration in public register also contributed to the perpetuation of the patriarchal system.
Para 28) While noting land disputes were a source of conflict, JS4 highlighted that the lack of transparency and failure to follow legal process made land registration vulnerable to corruption, and resulted in incorrect entries on the land registry. The failure to register collective land title put communities at risk of losing their land and culture, and non-implementation of anti-discrimination measures in the law could further entrench gender and other forms of discrimination.

"National Report:
Para 8) The State of Timor-Leste is carrying out efforts to comply with its commitment to international human rights instruments as stated in its national reports and is currently preparing resources (human and financial) and is endeavoring to increase their institutional capacity to ensure that these international instruments are implemented in the future when the CRPD and its Optional Protocol is signed and ratified, as recommended by the United Nations Human Rights Council

Para 9) Based on the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (C-RDTL) Article 95.3 (f) on ratification, it is the competence of the National Parliament, to approve and denounce agreements and ratify international treaties and conventions. A concrete example relates to the ratification of the Convention on Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol as recommended by the Committee and UN Human Rights Council, whereby the National Parliament is waiting for a proposal from the Government, because the Government has a policy of creating favorable conditions and examining and considering all of the circumstances relating to human rights, including the financial impact and the contents of the conventions that are to be ratified, to see if they are going to be ratified partially or fully, depending on the policy and capacity of the Government to sign and ratify these conventions and to assume all of the consequences and responsibilities and to comply with its implementation obligations

UN Compilation:
Para 1) The United Nations country team in Timor-Leste noted that, during the first universal periodic review, Timor-Leste had indicated that it planned to ratify CRPD, but that it had not yet done so."