Dili, 1 August 2025 – Ten employees were officially sworn in to assume leadership roles as Heads of Department and Directors at the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ).
During the inauguration ceremony, the Ombudsman, Virgílio da Silva Guterres “Lamukan”, emphasized that this event marked a significant moment not only for the employees themselves but for the entire institution. It reaffirmed PDHJ’s collective commitment to fulfilling its duty to protect citizens’ rights and provide redress when those rights are violated by public institutions.
“These positions should not be seen as opportunities, but as responsibilities to work towards improving public service delivery,” stated Ombudsman Virgílio in his address to the new appointees at the CNC Balide Meeting Room.
Out of the ten newly appointed leaders, eight are veteran staff with experience in similar roles. The Ombudsman encouraged them to remain proactive and committed to the institution’s mission. For the newly appointed Director of the Maliana Territorial Delegation and the PDHJ Inspector, he expressed confidence in their previous experience in other entities and their ability to contribute, particularly in auditing the performance of various directorates and departments, and ensuring proper use of public funds in line with legal procedures.
Citing a quote from Pope Francis and former Mozambican revolutionary leader Samora Machel, Guterres reminded those present: “He who does not live to serve, does not serve to live.” He added that positions of leadership must be grounded in public service, where personal gain comes last.
He further underlined that this ceremony, while administrative in nature, is also a political act of public service and a spiritual commitment, as those taking office swore an oath before God to carry out their duties fairly and without discrimination.
The Ombudsman explained that although 16 positions were initially open for recruitment, only 10 have been filled so far. The remaining six including Director of Human Resources, Head of the Finance Department, and Territorial Delegates for Same, Oecusse, and Baucau, will soon be reopened for public competition. The goal is to have all vacancies filled before the end of his mandate.
When asked whether the current vacancies might impact service delivery, he responded that it would not, as PDHJ continues to function under the appointment-by-replacement mechanism permitted by the public service regime. In the interim, existing staff members have been designated to temporarily take on those responsibilities.
Also speaking at the event, Commissioner for Public Function, Anita Tavares Oliveira de Jesus, urged the appointees to perform their duties in accordance with the law. “These roles are not privileges, but responsibilities that must be carried with integrity and fairness,” she said.
She highlighted Article 12 of Decree-Law No. 27/2008, which mandates that recruitment and promotion for public positions be conducted through merit-based competition. This merit system, she stressed, is essential for building public trust in the transparency and fairness of recruitment processes.
The ten officials sworn in included leadership for areas such as as Executive Secretary, General Inspectorate, Legal Aid Unit, Administration and Research, Public Assistance Directorate, Promotion Directorate, Supervision and Recommendation Directorate, Maliana Territorial Delegation, Finance Directorate, Procurement Department and Logistics and Information Technology Department.Among them, four are women and six are men.
The ceremony also included the presentation of certificates of recognition to the selection jury and technical team from the Public Service Commission for their contribution to the recruitment process.
The event was held at CNC Balide in Dili and was attended by the State Inspector General, Francisco de Carvalho, Anti-Corruption Commission (CAC) Commissioner, Rui dos Santos, Public Function Commissioner, Agapito da Conceição, the Executive Director of CNC, Hugo Fernandes, PDHJ Advisory Council Members, and senior officials from the national office as well as PDHJ territorial delegations in Same, Maliana, RAEOA, and Baucau.
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