20 Oct 2009

Director- General meets Kirsty Sword Gusmao

Dili, 14 October 2009- The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, received Ms Kirsty Sword Gusmão at UNESCO Headquarters. Ms Kirsty Sword Gusmão is the wife of the first President of Timor-Leste, Mr Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, and current Prime Minister of the country. She established the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO, which she also chairs.

The Director-General congratulated Ms Sword Gusmão for launching the National Commission on 23 April 2009, welcoming the participation of the new body in both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Culture. Mr Matsuura also paid tribute to the support provided by Ms Margaret Austin, former Member of Parliament of New Zealand, in terms of capacity building. He applauded the progress made so far in the functioning of the new National Commission, welcoming the commitment made to strengthen cooperation with other Commissions in the region.

In his discussion with Ms Sword Gusmão, the Director-General presented the Timor-Leste-UNESCO Country Programme Document, which had just been finalized and printed. Elaborated with the support of the Jakarta Office, this document defines UNESCO's strategic interventions in Timor-Leste for the next five years.

Among the urgent needs facing the country, the question of language policy was highlighted, including the promotion of education in mother tongue. The Director-General confirmed that literacy would continue to receive support in the next biennium at UNESCO. In the field of heritage, the Director-General encouraged Timor-Leste to start the procedure to ratify the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. After the ratification, Timor-Leste should prepare a tentative list of cultural and natural properties, which is a preliminary step to the nomination for inscription of properties on the World Heritage List. UNESCO could also assist in the identification of intangible heritage using the intangible Heritage Fund, once the 2003 Convention is ratified. The Director-general also took note of the needs expressed in the field of science education.

Finally, Mr Matsuura congratulated Ms Sword Gusmão for the joint project with UNESCO to establish a National Museum. This project, entitled "Rebuilding Social Cohesion of Communities through National Museum of Timor-Leste and Cultural Heritage Education" had been developed with the Ministers of Education and Culture and donors were currently being approached, including from the private sector. Mr Matsuura expressed his hope that the project would soon be up and running, saying that this would be an important step forward for building stability and peace in the region.

Flash Info N° 205-2009

Gabinete Portavoz

La Porte-parole

Sorumutu Diretór-Jerál ho Sra. Kirsty Sword Gusmão, Prezidente Komisaun Nasionál UNESCO –

Timor-Leste

Iha loron 14 fulan-Outubru, tinan 2009, Diretór-Jerál hosi UNESCO, Sr. Koïchiro Matsuura, simu vizita Sra.Kristy Sword Gusmão iha Kuartél-Jerál UNESCO nian. Sra. Kirsty Sword Gusmão, nu'udar primeira dama hosi Eis-primeiru Prezidente Timor-Leste nian, Sr. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão no atuál Primeiru Ministru Nasaun ida-ne'e nian. Nia maka estabelese tiha Komisaun Nasionál UNESCO – Timor-Leste, ne'ebé hanesan mós Prezidente Komisaun ne'e.

Diretór-Jerál ne'e kongratula Sra. Sword Gusmão, ba lansamentu Komisaun Nasionál ne'ebé maka hala'o iha loron 23 fulan-Abril, tinan 2009, simu ho laran haksolok partisipasaun hosi orgaun foun ne'e ho Ministeriu nain rua, Ministeriu dos Negosius Estranjeiru no Ministeriu da Edukasaun-Sekretariu Estadu Kultura nian. Sr. Matsuura presta mós ninia respeita ba suporta ne'ebé maka haraik hosi Sra. Margaret Austin, eis-Membru Parlamentu hosi Nova-Zelándia, entermusde kapasitasaun nian. Nia apresia tebe-tebes ba progresu ne'eb'e maka hala'o ona durante ne'e ho funsionamentu ba Komisaun Nasionál foun ne'e, benvindu mós ba komitmentu ne'ebé maka halo atu hametin kooperasaun Komisaun rejionál sira seluk.

Iha diskusaun ho Sra. Sword Gusmão, Diretór-Jerál ne'e aprezenta Dokumentu Programa Nasaun, UNESCO – Timor-Leste nanin ne'ebé maka foin finalize tiha no imprime. Elabora ho suporta hosi Edifisiu iha Jakarta, dokumentu ne'e defini kona-ba intervensaun estratejia UNESCO nian iha Timor-Leste ba tinan lima oin-mai.

Entre nesesidade urjente ne'ebé maka nasaun ne'e hasoru, pergunta ida mak kona-ba polítika linguajen ne'ebé subliña tiha ona, inklui promosaun ba dialetu lok'al nian. Diretór-Jerál ne'e konfirma tiha katak kapasidade ba lee no hakerek ne'e sei kontinua simu suporta kada tinan rua-rua tuirmai hosi UNESCO. Kona-ba kampu patrimoniu nian, Diretór-Jerál ne'e enkoraja Timor-Leste hahú ona ho prosesu atu ratifika Konvensaun ba Patrimoniu Mundiál tinan 1972 no Konvensaun ba Salvagurda Patrimoniu Kultura Imateriál nian. Depoisde ratifikasaun ne'e Timor-Leste tenke prepara lista tentative ida kona-ba propriadade kultura no naturál nian, ne'ebé nu'udar pasu preliminaria ida atu nomeia ba inskrisaun propriadade ba iha lista Patrimoniu Mundiál nian. UNESCO mós sei asiste kona-ba identifikasaun patrimoniu immaterial nian ne'ebé maka utilize Fundus Patrimoniu Imateriál nian, bainhira ratifika tiha ona Konvensaun sira-ne'e. Diretór-Jerál ne'e mós hola nota kona-ba nesesidade ne'ebé maka espresa hosi terrenu sientífika edukasaun nian.

Ikus-mai, Sr. Matsuura kongratula Sra.Sword Gusmão ba projetu konjunta ho UNESCO hodi estabelese Museu Nasionál ne'e. Projetu ne'e ninia titulu maka "Harii filafali Estrutura sosiál hosi komunidade sira liuhosi Museu Nasionál Timor-Leste no Edukasaun Patrimoniu Nasionál" ne'ebé maka dezenvolve tiha iha Ministeriu Edukasaun no Kultura no doadores sira ne'ebé maka atualmente hakbesik-an ba iha projetu ne'e inklui setór privadu sira, SR. Matsuura espresa ninia esperasan katak projetu ne'e neineik sei hala'o no hamrik duni, nia hateten katak ida-ne'e hanesan pasu importante bá oin ida hodi harii pás no estabilidade iha rejiaun ne'e.

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