Timor-Leste Ministry of Economic and development creates a gender cabinet

Over the past ten years, achievements have been made in many sectors in Timor-Leste. Schools and hospitals both in the capital and the districts have been rebuilt and many government institutions for delivering goods and services have been put in place.

East Timor predicted to be one of the top ten fastest growing economies for 2011. That news comes as the World Bank recently predicted a 15 percent growth rate and a decline in poverty by 9 percent in the foreseeable future.

On its track to development gender equality promotion is a priority.



Following the Millennium Development Goals, the Timor-Leste target for gender equality and empowerment women is “eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015”

United Nations report is clear: “Very likely to be achieved, on track”

“At primary education proportion of girls was higher than that of boys. According to 2004 population and housing census in Timor-Leste, the net primary enrolment rate is 75% for boys and 73% for girls. But this rate was decreasing at secondary and tertiary levels. At tertiary level there were only 83 girls out of 100 boys. This reflects that gender inequality still exists.

Moreover, since 2001 the ratio of literate women to men has been quite promising, reaching approximately 96%. The percentage increased slightly to 97% in 2004, but declined sharply to 93% in 2007. Achieving 100% literacy among women by 2015 is possible if informal education is made available to all in a more ambitious manner.

The share of women in wage employment in the non agricultural sector presents a different picture, however. This indicator shows that the chance of women to involve in labour market is still very low, where male dominates. Based on the data sources women contribution in the non-agricultural sector has only increased slightly from 35% in 2001 to 36% in 2007. Moreover, women in urban areas are more likely to get employed in non-primary sectors than men. Finally, an indicator of the empowerment of women can be seen in the proportion of seats held by women in national parliament, which was 28% in 2007”

As it can be seen, achievements have been made, but a lot of work is still required.

The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste supports freedom from sex-based discrimination. Equality between women and men is a fundamental right, and a necessary condition for the achievement of its objectives of growth, employment and social cohesion.

For this reason, the Government itself it committed to the principle of equality between men and women seeking to ensure the integration of a gender perspective in the development of strategic, policies, programs and legislation within the Government.

Taking into account the importance of equality between women and men the Ministry of Economy and Development has created a gender cabinet in order to mainstream a gender perspective into the design, analysis, planning implementation, budget, monitoring and evaluation of local and national policies and programs.

Ministry of Economy and Development plays an important role in promoting the development in rural areas, where the gaps between men and women are deeper.
For this reason the Gender Cabinet is in charge to support the creation of districts gender working groups, identifying key members and priority actions in order to improve coordination between districts and promote rural community participation.

2011 – International Year of Forests

2011 was declared the International Year of Forests by United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of forests for the benefit of all types of forests.

Forest are source of livelihood, biodiversity and wealthy and its represent an important role to combat climate change.

FAO estimates that every year 130,00’0 km2 of the world’s forest are lost due to deforestation. There are several causes for deforestation, such as conversion to agricultural land, unsustainable harvesting of timber and unsound land management.

According to the World Bank, deforestation accounts for up 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. </

Forests in numbers:

30% of forests are used for production of wood and non-wood products

The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests.

Trade in forest products was estimated at $327 billion in 2004.

Forests cover 31% of total land area.

Forests are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity.

Primary forests account for 36% of forest area.

Forests are home to 300 million people around the world.

Violence against women

United Nations Development Fund for Women – UNIFEM

Established in 1976, United Nations Development Fund for Women works to promote and protect women’s rights over the world, for eradicating violence and all forms of discrimination against women and achieving gender equality.

UNIFEM works on the premise that it is the fundamental right of every woman to live a life free from discrimination and violence, and that gender equality is essential to achieving development and to building just societies.

Working in more than 100 countries, UNIFEM focuses its activities on one overarching goal: to support the implementation at the national level of existing international commitments to advance gender equality.
In support of this goal, UNIFEM works in the following thematic areas:

• Enhancing women’s economic security and rights – UNIFEM is committed to the advancement of women’s human rights and places their realization at the centre of its work in all thematic areas. Women bear a disproportionate burden of the world’s poverty. Statistics indicate that women are more likely than men to be poor and at risk of hunger because of the systematic discrimination they face in education, health care, employment and control of assets. UNIFEM supports women to reshape conditions at both ends of the economic spectrum — from boosting women’s participation in economic policy-making to supporting efforts to provide women and their communities with practical skills needed for securing sustainable livelihoods.

• Ending violence against women – Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread violations of human rights. Globally, up to six out of every ten women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. A World Health Organization study of 24,000 women in 10 countries found that the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence by a partner varied from 15 percent in urban Japan to 71 percent in rural Ethiopia, with most areas being in the 30–60 percent range. On behalf of the UN system, UNIFEM manages the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The key international agreement on women’s human rights is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which is also described as the international bill of women’s rights. Ratified by 185 UN Member States.

• Reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among women and girls – More than 30 million people are today living with HIV. Globally, women now account for half of all infections. Gender inequality and violations of women’s rights make women and girls particularly susceptible, leaving them with less control than men over their bodies and their lives. Women and girls often have less information about HIV and fewer resources to take preventive measures.

• Advancing gender justice in democratic governance in stable and fragile states – around the world, gender equality in democratic governance continues to be extremely limited. Women are outnumbered 4 to 1 in legislatures around the world. At mid-year 2009, only 17 heads of state or government were women. One of the pillars of UNIFEM’s work is advancing women’s political participation and good governance, to ensure that decision-making processes are participatory, responsive, equitable and inclusive.

Learn more and help on the following link:

http://www.unifem.org/

Oecussi, Timor-Leste

Oecussi was the first part of the island of Timor-Leste on which the Portuguese established themselves, in fifteenth century.

Oecussi is a coastal exclave in the western part of the island of Timor. It is separated from the rest of Timor-Leste (East) by West Timor, which is part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia, and which surrounds Oecussi in all directions except the north, where it borders the Savu Sea. It has an area of 815 square kilometres.

Oecussi is a district in Timor-Leste situated around 12 hours by ferry boat from the capital Dili. This boat connects to Dili twice a week. It can also be reached by road via Indonesia, this takes around six hours. This route requires visa authorisation from Timor-Leste’s authorities and a visa on arrival from the Indonesian government. A third, and quickest, option is by UN helicopter four days per week, although waiting lists tend to be long.

The capital of Oecussi district is Pante Macassar, which is also known as Oecussi town. Oecussi is divided into four sub-districts; Nitibe, Oesilo, Pante Macassar, and Passabe. The sub-districts are divided into 19 sucos (communities) in total. Just like any other district in Timor-Leste, most of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic. They speak Tetum, the official language of Timor-Leste, Portuguese and Indonesian.

The vast majority of Oecussi people – around 82 per cent – have always relied on agriculture for their livelihood. Oecussi farming practice tends overwhelmingly towards a subsistence model, and traditional markets commonly feature the bartering of goods as a mode of transaction. The major crops are cassavas and rice.

Attempts to increase economic activity in Oecussi through agriculture or agro-forestry will need to address the challenges of a dry climate, poor soils and mountainous topography, that offers little flat land for large-scale agriculture. Rainfall in Oecussi, as across Timor, falls mostly from November to April.

Life in Oecussi is pleasant but basic. There is a small number of restaurants and almost no nightlife. Shops are generally well stocked, with many imported goods from Indonesia, and markets have a good stocking of local products ranging from fruit to beef. Electricity is sparse, mainly for the evenings, and with regular black-outs. Hence, cooled and frozen products tend to be less available than fresh or canned goods. Both a vegetarian and a vegan diet are possible to maintain in Oecussi.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On December 10, 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.

The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are entitled. It consists of 30 articles which have been elaborated in subsequent international treaties, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions and laws

The Universal Declaration begins with a preamble consisting of seven paragraphs followed by a statement “proclaiming” the Declaration.
Each paragraph of the preamble sets out a reason for the adoption of the Declaration.

The first paragraph asserts that the recognition of human dignity of all people is the foundation of justice and peace in the world.

The second paragraph observes that disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind and that the four freedoms: freedom of speech, belief, freedom from want, and freedom from fear – which is “proclaimed as the highest aspiration” of the people.

The third paragraph states that so that people are not compelled to rebellion against tyranny, human rights should be protected by rule of law.

The fourth paragraph relates human rights to the development of friendly relations between nations.

The fifth paragraph links the Declaration back to the United Nations Charter which reaffirms faith in fundamental human rights and dignity and worth of the human person.

The sixth paragraph notes that all members of the United Nations have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The seventh paragraph observes that “a common understanding” of rights and freedoms is of “the greatest importance” for the full realization of that pledge.

John Rawls

John Rawls, was bron in February 21, 1921, and died in November 24, 2002. He was an American philosopher and a leading figure in moral and political philosophy.

Rawls received the Schock Prize for Logic and Philosophy and the National Humanities Medal in 1999, the latter presented by President Bill Clinton, in recognition of how Rawls’s thought “helped a whole generation of learned Americans revive their faith in democracy itself.

Rawls is noted for his contributions to liberal political philosophy. A Theory of Justice in 1971, is it the main work!
In A Theory of Justice, Rawls attempts to reconcile liberty and equality in a principled way, offering an account of “justice as fairness.” Central to this effort is his famous approach to the seemingly intractable problem of distributive justice!

Rawls appeals to the social contract. What principles of justice would we agree to if we desired to cooperate with others, but would also prefer more of the benefits, and less of the burdens, associated with cooperation? Justice as fairness is thus offered to people who are neither saintly altruists nor greedy egoists. Human beings are, as Rawls puts it, both rational and reasonable.
Because we are rational we have ends we want to achieve, but we are reasonable insofar as we are happy to achieve these ends together if we can, in accord with mutually acceptable regulative principles. But given how different our needs and aspirations often are, how can we find principles that are acceptable to each of us? Rawls gives us a model of a fair situation for making this choice (his argument from the original position and the famous veil of ignorance), and he argues that two principles of justice would be especially attractive.

We would, Rawls argues, affirm a principle of equal basic liberties, thus protecting the familiar liberal freedoms of conscience, association, expression, and the like (included here is a right to hold and use personal property, but Rawls defends that right in terms of our moral capacities and self-respect,[4] not by appeal to a natural right of self-ownership, thus distinguishing his account from the classical liberalism of John Locke, and the libertarian stance of Robert Nozick). But we would also want to ensure that, whatever our station in society, liberties represent meaningful options for us. For example, formal guarantees of political voice and freedom of assembly are of little real worth to the desperately poor and marginalized in society. Demanding that everyone have exactly the same effective opportunities in life is a non-starter: achieving this would almost certainly offend the very liberties that are supposedly being equalized. Nonetheless, we would want to ensure at least the “fair worth” of our liberties: wherever one ends up in society, one wants life to be worth living, with enough effective freedom to pursue personal goals. Thus we would be moved to affirm a second principle requiring fair equality of opportunity, paired with the famous (and controversial) difference principle. This second principle ensures that those with comparable talents and motivation face roughly similar life chances, and that inequalities in society work to the benefit of the least advantaged.

Rawls held that these principles of justice apply to the “basic structure” of fundamental social institutions (courts, markets, the constitution, etc), a qualification that has been the source of some controversy and constructive debate (see, for instance, the important work of Gerald Cohen). Rawls further argued that these principles were to be lexically ordered, thus giving priority to basic liberties over the more equality-oriented demands of the second principle. This has also been a topic of much debate among moral and political philosophers. Finally, Rawls took his approach as applying in the first instance to what he called a “well-ordered society … designed to advance the good of its members and effectively regulated by a public conception of justice”. [5] In this respect, he understood justice as fairness as a contribution to “ideal theory,” working “out principles that characterize a well-ordered society under favorable circumstances” [6] Much recent work in political philosophy has asked what justice as fairness might dictate (or indeed, whether it is very useful at all) for problems of “partial compliance” under “nonideal theory.” Does Rawls’s theory tell us much that is useful about what we should do in societies already characterized by profound injustices, deep distrust, material deprivation, and the like?

Do you agree with this ideas?
TELL US
sharing with the world your opinion!

Assisted Suicide

Hello there,

As promised to my dear work colleague, in my future posts, I will write down and underline some sentences of an article about Assisted Suicide, written by american philosophers (whoever is interest can read it at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1237 ).

Undoubtedly, it is a fracturing subject of our society.
Yes or No to Assisted Suicide?
In order to establish a possible dialogue about it, i’ll point out one argument of each side:

Yes: “In a free society, individuals must be allowed to make those decisions for themselves, out of their own faith, conscience and convictions”.

No: “it would be impossible to limit a right to assisted suicide in an acceptable way, once that right was recognized”.

‘Till further considerations,
Bes

Franz Kafka

kafka's House

Kafka's House

Franz Kafka was born in Prague, July 3, 1883 into a middle-class Jewish family and was one of the greatest writers of fiction in German language of the twentieth century!

Graduated in Law in 1906, worked as a lawyer in principle particular company “Assicurazioni Generali” and then in the semi-State Institute for Insurance against Occupational Accidents.

Solitary with the affective life marked by frustration and irresoluções, Kafka never achieved fame or fortune on your books, mostly published posthumously.

Still was respected in the circles of literature that attended!

The book that marked me as a lawyer, date of 1925 and is called

“The Process”

The Process is a story of Josef K., a character who wake up in the morning, and wtih no known reason, is arrested and subjected to long and hard process for a crime not disclosed.

The figure of Josef K. is the paradigm of the persecution that ignores the real causes of their persecution, and that stick only to allegorical and misleading evidence resulting from various sources!

Kafka portrayed an authoritarianism of Justice whcih has the power in their hands to condemn someone without offer means of defense, or at least knowledge of the reasons for punishment.

However we can take a picture of Josef K. and of his accusers, to various fields of life, particularly at work (who was never charged or prosecuted without their accusers said that it would be negligent?) at school (who is never seen as Josef K., to be criticized for their performance, without knowing where it had failed?

All the writing of Kafka is marked by its tone impartial, attentive to the smallest detail, and covering the themes of alienation and persecution.

Their stories are judged as true and realistic, in touch with the man of the XXI century, since the characters kafkanianos suffer from existential conflict, as the man of today.

In Kafkaniano’s world, the characters, do not know which direction they should take, unaware of the goals of your life, seriously questioning the existence and end up alone, facing a situation that is not planned, because all events are turned against them, not giving them opportunity to take advantage of the situation and, often, even out of this.

So the theme of solitude and escape the paranoia and delusions of influence are closely linked to work kafkiana!

I had the pleasure of visiting the house on Kafka lived during his life! This is a small house located inside the castle in Prague, Czech Republic!

ESP

On Democracy in America – Alexis de Tocqueville

In this time of elections this is the book that our politicians should read!

On Democracy in America, but the usual translation of the title is simply Democracy in America was published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840) is a classic French text by Alexis de Tocqueville.

The primary focus of Democracy in America is an analysis of why republican representative democracy has succeeded in the United States while failing in so many other places. He seeks to apply the functional aspects of democracy in America to what he sees as the failings of democracy in his native France.

Tocqueville speculates on the future of democracy in the United States, discussing possible threats to democracy and possible dangers of democracy. These include his belief that democracy has a tendency to degenerate into “soft despotism” as well as the risk of developing a tyranny of the majority. He observed that the strong role religion played in the United States was due to its separation from the government, a separation all parties found agreeable. He contrasts this to France where there was what he perceived to be an unhealthy antagonism between democrats and the religious, which he relates to the connection between church and state.

Insightful analysis of political society was supplemented in the second volume by description of civil society as a sphere of private and civilian affairs.

Democracy in America was published in numerous editions in the 19th century. It was immediately popular in both Europe and the United States. By the twentieth century, it had become a classic work of political science, social science, and history. It is a commonly assigned reading for undergraduates of U.S.A. universities majoring in the political or social sciences.

Tocqueville’s work is often acclaimed for making a number of predictions which were eventually borne out. Tocqueville correctly anticipates the potential of the debate over the abolition of slavery to tear apart the United States (as it indeed did in the American Civil War). On the other hand, he predicts that any part of the Union would be able to declare independence. He also predicts the rise of the United States and Russia as rival superpowers (which they did become after World War II with Russia as the central component of the Soviet Union.)

American democracy was seen to have its potential downside: the despotism of public opinion, the tyranny of majority, conformity for the purpose of seeking material security, the absence of intellectual freedom which he saw to degrade administration and bring statesmanship, learning, and literature to the level of the lowest. Democracy in America predicted the violence of party spirit and the judgment of the wise subordinated to the prejudices of the ignorant.

In this moment i am reading this book and ti is is a real lesson on democracy!

TODAY IS THE WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION

“Conserving land and water = Securing our common future”

The World Day to Combat Desertification is observed every year on 17 June. This year, the Day’s theme is “Conserving land and water = Securing our common future “

Desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) threaten human security by depriving people of their means of life – by taking away food, access to water, the means for economic activities, and even their homes. In worst-case scenarios, they undermine national and regional security, force people to leave their homes and can trigger low- or high-level intensity conflicts.

On this World Day to Combat Desertification, United Nations (Convention to Combat Desertification) would like to remind everyone threats to soil security unleashed by desertification, land degradation and the effects of drought constitute a peril to securing our common future.

The World Day to Combat Desertification has been observed since 1995 (General Assembly Resolution A/RES/49/1995) to promote public awareness relating to international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought, and the implementation of the UNCCD. Last year, more than 40 events took place all over the world (see the 2008 report). We can celebrate the Day through organizing activities such as seminars, media events and campaigns. Every single activity involving community participation and cooperation is encouraged

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esp