Dili, 29-30 September 2025 – The Provedoria for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ) has concluded a pivotal two-day workshop, “Strengthening CRPD Monitoring,” with a firm commitment to partnership with civil society to advance the rights of persons with disabilities. The event, held from September 29-30, 2025, was supported by the UN Joint Project “Empower for Inclusion” in collaboration with OHCHR, UN Women, and UNICEF.
In his closing remarks, the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice, Virgílio da Silva Guterres “Lamukan,” stated that the workshop was a crucial step in moving from the promise of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to practice. Timor-Leste ratified the CRPD in 2023, and the PDHJ, as the National Human Rights Institution, holds the core mandate for its independent monitoring.
“The PDHJ holds the legal mandate under Article 33 of the CRPD, but we do not hold a monopoly on knowledge or on the lived experience of disability,” Provedor Lamukan declared. “Our mandate to monitor, investigate, and report is strengthened immeasurably when we walk hand-in-hand with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and civil society. Your expertise is not an optional extra; it is an essential component of effective and legitimate human rights protection.”
The workshop was facilitated by two international experts from the OHCHR: Arnaud Chaltin and Juyoung Yoon. They guided participants through critical topics, including the fundamentals of the CRPD, discrimination, implementation measures, the international reporting cycle, and the CRPD Committee’s role. Their expertise provided participants with a robust understanding of both the convention’s principles and the practical tools for its monitoring.
The workshop brought together PDHJ staff, representatives from OPDs, and civil society partners. The first day focused on building the PDHJ’s internal capacity, while the second day was dedicated to fostering collaborative monitoring, emphasizing that the PDHJ cannot fulfill its mandate alone.
Provedor Lamukan praised the contributions of OPDs, calling them “the heartbeat of this workshop” and acknowledging that they reminded everyone that the work is about “real people, real lives, and the real barriers that must be dismantled.”
He concluded by making a direct commitment on behalf of the PDHJ, pledging to integrate the workshop’s lessons into daily work, refine complaint-handling procedures, and actively seek the partnership of OPDs and CSOs in the upcoming State Party reporting process and ongoing monitoring.
“The dialogue that started here must not end here,” he stated. “Let this be the beginning of a permanent, structured, and productive collaboration.”
The workshop is expected to directly inform Timor-Leste’s first report to the UN CRPD Committee and has laid the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive human rights monitoring ecosystem in the country.
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