Timor-Leste celebrates World Children’s Day and UNICEF @75

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, and my dear children.

I came to this country seven months ago, and I am still learning Tetun, so please bear with me. :)

I am very happy to be here today as we commemorate the World Children’s Day. I feel proud to represent an organization that has been working from before the restoration of Timor-Leste’s independence, for all of you, the beautiful children of Timor-Leste.

This year, UNICEF marks its 75th anniversary. Just as when UNICEF was born in 1946 after World War II, today the world is engulfed in crisis, with the most marginalized children worst affected. This is a pivotal moment in time. We cannot allow child rights and wellbeing to fall victim to the pandemic. We must seize the opportunity to take bold and urgent actions to secure the future of our children and the world we want.

My dear children,

We are all very proud of you! Despite the most difficult of challenges, you have shown tremendous resilience at such young age, and you keep moving on. You have inherited this resilience from your forefathers, it is in your blood.

All of us sitting in front of you faced similar challenges that you face today when we were children. We did not have proper homes or schools, and enough food and water, or good clothes to wear. But we were taught only one thing by our elders: No matter what happens, never leave your education and keep studying, and never cause harm to anyone. 

If you stay on this path and never ever give up, you could be the future President, the Minister or even the head of United Nations one day.

As the representative of UNICEF, I promise you that we will do everything in our capacity, to make sure that you, especially the most vulnerable, are empowered, healthier, more educated, and productive and safer.

Now I would like to make a plea to the leaders of this country present here today.

Excellencies,

Science shows that life is a story for which the “beginning” sets the tone.

In the first five years of life, more than one million neural connections are formed each second in the brain – a pace never repeated again.

The quality of a child’s early experiences makes a critical difference as their brains develop, providing either strong or weak foundations for learning, health and behaviour throughout life.

For children to achieve their full potential, as is their human right, they need health care and nutrition, protection from harm and a sense of security, opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving – like talking, singing and playing – with parents and caregivers who love them. All of this is needed to nourish developing brains and fuel growing bodies.

We have one chance to get it right. Yet, in Timor-Leste, these precious first 5 years do not get the attention they deserve in the state policy and budget. The consequences are in front of us.

- Every second Timorese child is stunted. Simply put, this means that the brains of half of Timorese children are not fully developed, which leads to school drop-out, and greater risk of diabetes and cancer, and even premature death. 

- Only 1 out of 4 children aged 3-5 years have access to pre-school. The rest start directly in grade 1, and due to a poor foundation, start failing and repeating years from grade 1. 

Excellencies,

Critical government laws and policies are in draft form for many years because of which we cannot put systems and resources in places to fulfill the rights of Timorese children.

For example, 

- The Law on Protection of Children is pending since 2017
- The Juvenile Justice Law is pending since 2010
- The Children Code is pending since 2010
- The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is pending since 2010

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

On this World Children’s Day,

- Let’s pledge that we will work together to pass these essential laws and policies as soon as possible.

- Let’s commit to making the first 5 years of a child’s life our top government priority. 

- Let’s promise:
a. that we will eradicate child malnutrition;
b. that we will have a pre-school in each aldeia; 
c. that every child will receive routine immunization;
d. that each home and school will have a toilet and clean water;
e. that we will have a comprehensive legal system to protect every child against violence, abuse and exploitation.

UNICEF’s experience of working in more than 190 countries show that these challenges are complex but not impossible to overcome. 

I end my remarks with the great Nelson Mandela’s words: “It always seems impossible until it's done."

I thank you.

====Ends====

Tetun Translation:

Exelensias, señora no señor, 

Hau nia doben labarik hotu,

Hau mai iha rai ne’e fulan walu liu ba, no hau sei aprende hela koalia Tetun, tamba ne’e favor ida pasiensia lai, tanba hau nia Tetun seidauk moos.

Hau kontente tebes mai iha ne’e ohin loron tanba ita komemora Loron Mundial ba Labarik. Hau sente orgullu hodi reprezenta organizasaun ida mak hahú servisu desde antes restaurasaun independensia Timor-Leste, ba imi hotu, labarik doben hotu iha Timor-Leste.

Tinan ida ne’e, UNICEF halo tinan hitu nulu-resin lima (75). Hanesan wainhira UNICEF moris iha tinan rihun ida atus sia haat nulu resin-neen (1946) hafoin Funu Mundial Daruak, ohin loron mos mundu hasoru krizi barak, iha nebé labarik marjinalizadu sira mak afetadu barak liu. Ne’e momentu ida krusial iha tempu agora. Ita la bele husik hela direitu labarik no ben estar sai fali vitima ba pandemia. Ami hotu aproveita oportunidade hotu no asaun urjenti sira hodi garante ita-nia oan sira-nia futuru no mundu ida maka ita hakarak.

Hau nia doben labarik hotu,

Ami orgullu tebes ho imi hotu! Maske dezafiu difisil sira, imi hatudu ona reziliensia forte iha imi-nia idade, no kontinua lao ba oin. Imi simu reziliensia forte ne’e hosi imi-nia beiala sira, sira ne’e sulin iha imi-nia raan. 

Ami hotu mak tuur iha imi-nia oin hasoru dezafiu hanesan mak imi hasoru ohin loron wainhira ami sei labarik. Ami la iha uma dia’k ka eskola sira, no aihan no bee moos la too, ka roupa la iha atu hatais. Maibe ami aprende hosi beiala sira: La inporta saida mak atu akontese, nunka husik hela edukasaun no kontinua estuda, no nunka atu halo aat ema seluk.  

Se imi kontua nafatin iha dalan ne’e no la rende, imi bele sai prezidente iha future, ministru ka bele mós loron ruma lidera Nasoins Unidas. 

Nudar reprezentante UNICEF, hau promete ba imi hotu katak ami sei halo buat hotu tui rami-nia kapasidade, hodi garante imi hotu, espesialmente sira vulneravel liu, iha forsa, saudavel, edukadu no produtivu no seguru liu.

Agora hau hakarak apela ba lider sira iha país ne’e mak iha fatin ne’e ohin loron.

Exelensias 

Siensia hatudu katak moris ne’e istoria ida ne’ebe “inisiu” defini nia ritmu.

Iha tinan lima moris dahuluk, koneksaun neuru sira millaun ida liu formadu kada segundu iha kakutak – ritmu ida mak nunka repete fali. 

Harii baze ne’ebé forte ka fraku, ba aprendizajen, saude no atetude nian durante moris tomak, sei desidi labarik sira nia kualidade moris iha inisiu durante sira nia kakutak sei dezenvolve.

Ba labarik atu atinji sira-nia potensialidade ho masim, nudar sira-nia direitu umanu, sira presiza kuidadu saude no nutrisaun, protesaun hosi perigu no sente seguru, oportunidade sira ba inisiu aprendizajen, no kuidadu responsivu sira – hanesan koalia kanta no halimar – hamutuk ho inan-aman sira no kuidador sira mak hadomi sira. Buat hirak ne’e hotu presiza atu asegura  kakutak dezenvolve ho diak no kresimentu isin sira diak. 

Ita iha oportunidade dala ida deit atu halo los. Maibe ita haree katak iha Timor-Leste, ita ladun fo atensaun ba labarik sira nia tinan lima dahuluk, refleta iha politika estadu no iha orsamentu.

Konsekuensia sira iha kedas ita nia oin
- Kada labarik Timor-oan nain rua mak raes-badak. Ne’e sinplesmente hadu katak labarik Timor-oan sira-nia katukak la dezenvolve totalmente, rezulta iha drop-out, no risku boot ba moreas sira hanesan diabetes no kankru, no bele mate prematura.

- Labarik ida deit hosi labarik nain haat, ho idade tinan tolu too lima, mak hetan asesu ba pre-eskola. Sira seluk ba diretamente primeiru anu, no tanba fundasaun ne’ebé fraku, hahú reprova no repete hahú primeiru anu beibeik. 

Exelensias,

Governu nia lei no politika kritika sira mak sei nafatin hanesan esbosu hela ba tinan naruk, no la inplementa rekursu no sistema sira hodi hakonu labarik Timor-oan sira-nia direitu.

Hanesan ezemplu,
- Lei Protesaun Labarik mak pendente desde tinan rihun rua sanulu resin-hitu
- Lei Justisa Juvenil mak pendente hahú tinan rihun rua rua sanulu
- Kodigu da Labarik pendente hahú tinan rihu rua sanulu
- Kodigu Internasional ba Merkadu Susu-been substitutu mak pendente hahú tinan rihun rua sanulu 

Exelensias, señora no señor, 

Iha Loron Mundial ba Labarik ne’e, 
- Ita halo kompromisu atu servisu hamutuk hodi aprova lei no politika esensial sira ho rapidu posivel.
- Mai ita halo kompromisu atu halo labarik nia tinan lima dahuluk nia moris sai governu nia prioridade aas liu.
- Mai ita halo promesa ida:

a. katak ita sei eradika malnutrisaun iha labarik sira; 
b. Katak ita sei harii pre-eskola iha aldeia ida-idak;
c. katak labarik ida-idak sei simu imunizasaun rutina;
d. katak uma no eskola ida-idak sei iha sintina no bee moos;
e. katak ita sei iha sistema legal komprensivu atu proteje labarik ida-idak hasoru violensia, abuzu no esplorasaun.

UNICEF nia esperiensia servisu iha rai atus ida sia-nulu (190) liu hatudu katak dezafiu sira ne’e kompleksu....maibe la imposivel atu ultrapasa.

Hau hakutu hau nia deskursu ho lia-fuan murak hosi Nelson Mandela: “Sempre parece impossível até que seja feito” 

“Buat hotu haree hanesan imposivel, molok ita komesa halo” 

Obrigado Barak!