Empowering women in Timor-Leste
The Ministerial Meeting on Equality of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) recently took place in Dili Timor-Leste.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) took the opportunity to raise awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights as a driver of gender equality.
John Pile, a UNFPA Representative in Timor-Leste said:
“Using family planning empowers women, and by extension, their families, society and the nation.
When women are empowered and are equal decision-makers in their families, they spend more resources on their children’s nutrition, healthcare and education. Involving men in family planning can lead to changes in gender norms.
Empowering women in many ways, including their ability to achieve their desired family size, is the most important driver of modern development efforts. We have seen that time and again in country after country; it can happen in Timor-Leste too.”
