President Ramos-Horta backs Post-CAVR

Post-CAVR Secretariat – Thu, 23 Aug 2007
In Brief

At a meeting with representatives of the Post-CAVR Secretariat on 10 August 07, Timor-Leste's new President strongly endorsed the Secretariat's mandate and requested that it continue throughout 2008 or until the Parliament and Government respond to the CAVR report. The President also backed the proposal that the ex-Balide Comarca, which was rehabilitated with Japanese funding and served as CAVR's national office, should become a national memorial for victims and human rights, as recommended in the CAVR report.
New Prime Minister comments on Chega! At his swearing in on 8 August 07, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao told his audience of Members of Parliament and the Diplomatic Corps gathered at Palacio do Lahane that the CAVR report Chega! is important to Timor-Leste's future. The new Prime Minister said: ' The Report of CAVR concerning this collective experience over 25 years must be considered. This common experience helps us to understand our past and to better know ourselves. And for that reason we cannot ignore the lessons of the past in order to understand the current crisis and protect the future'.

World Bank grant The Post-CAVR Secretariat is one of several organizations in Timor-Leste recently given grants by the World Bank, supported by AusAID, for the Bank's program of Leadership and Communication for National Renewal. The Secretariat's grant of $49,483 is for the socialisation of the CAVR report, Chega!, to civil society in Timor-Leste. The socialisation project will operate for 6 months until December 2007.

Socialisation of Chega! The Post-CAVR Secretariat has formed three teams to socialise the CAVR report to civil society and faith-based organisations in Timor-Leste. Led by Jaimito da Costa, the program is focussed on preparing and mobilising these organisations to act as agents of Chega! in their local communities so that the Report contributes to the on-going national objective of building a culture of non-violence, human rights and accountability in Timor-Leste.

Radio program To supplement its socialisation of the CAVR Report, the Post-CAVR Secretariat commenced a weekly radio program in July. Called Chega! Dalan ba Dame (Chega! Road to Peace) the program is broadcast in Tetum at 7 am each Saturday morning on Radio Timor-Leste. The program is also broadcast by community stations in a number of districts. It will run until December.

Promotion of Chega! in Germany The Post-CAVR Senior Adviser, Pat Walsh, visited Germany in June-July to promote the CAVR report and attend an international conference on Peace and Justice held in Nuremberg, 25-27 June. The visit was made possible by a scholarship provided by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Pat Walsh also used the visit to fund-raise, to give lectures on CAVR, to document memorialisation in Germany and to meet with organizations in Indonesia including the Indonesian Aliansi Sosialisasi Chega! in Jakarta. He also attended CTF's fourth public hearing held in Bali, 23-24 July.

Elections in Timor-Leste and Chega! Several initiatives were taken during the recent elections for the Presidency and National Parliament to remind candidates that Chega! has not yet been debated by the Parliament or acted on by the Government. The initiatives included briefing journalists and NGOs on Chega! and holding a seminar at the Post-CAVR premises for parliamentary candidates. Candidates were informed that Chega had been widely distributed in Timor and that the community expected the new parliament to address the report. Candidates for Fretilin, CNRT and PUN agreed to make Chega a priority if they were elected.

Presentation in Aceh on CAVR and new documentary The Director of the Post-CAVR Secretariat, Rev Agustinho de Vasconselos, addressed a conference in Aceh in May organised by the Acehnese NGO AJMI in collaboration with Elsam. His address focussed on the methodology used by CAVR in the conduct of its truth-seeking and community reconciliation mandate. The conference viewed a new documentary on CAVR produced by ICTJ.