FFS-XXI Organizes Afternoon Talk

The Alumni of the Youth Parliament of Timor-Leste (APFTL), through its sub-program Young Women in the 21st Century (Feto Foinsa’e Sékulu XXI - FFS-XXI), in collaboration with Oxfam in Timor-Leste under the Climate Fund Project, organized an afternoon talk (Konversa Loraik) with the theme “Women Building Resilience and Climate Finance”.

The objective of this activity was to analyze climate finance and hear about policy initiatives that the government has outlined, as well as to hear findings from civil society organizations that work directly with communities, and experiences from communities affected by the impacts of climate change.

At the activity, the President of APFTL, Benvinda Gusmão Alves, stated, “the issue of climate change is no longer a national issue, but a global one, and thus requires the government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), civil society, and youth to come together to seek solutions for climate change—how women can be even more resilient in facing climate change. Things like rain that does not fall on time, or drought, become a major issue for women. And we hope that through this afternoon talk, we can produce some results from this conversation that will serve as a document for all of us to continue advocating for the issue of climate change.”

In the same venue, Mr. Jude Perera, the represent of the Country Director of Oxfam in Timor-Leste affirmed, “related to the theme of this activity, ‘Women Building Resilience and Climate Finance,’ this reflects the situation in Timor-Leste where women still facing various challenges such as social norms that continue to discriminate against women in the household, in society, and in policy making and decision taking. The impact of climate change is felt even more heavily by women because they do more work in the household, such as caring for children and family, and other tasks. Therefore, there is a great need for policies that can ensure gender equality, vulnerable groups and people with specific requirement, so that they can be resilient in the face of climate change.”

The speakers for the afternoon talk were as follows:

1. Mr. Herminio Xavier, as Focal Point for Climate Issues at the Secretariat of State for Equality (SEI): spoke about “The Policy of the Secretariat of State for Equality on gender equality within the scope of climate change.”

2. Ms. Efigenia M. M. Makikit, as Focal Point for the Climate Fund Project at APFTL: spoke about “Women’s Experiences Facing the Impact of Climate Change in Timor-Leste.”

3. Ms. Ramila Fatima da Costa, as Director of the MANEO organization: spoke about “Climate Action at the Community Level.”

The afternoon talk was attended by: government representatives, civil society organizations, academic students, environmental activist groups, and community members. The activity was realized through financial support from Oxfam Timor-Leste and implemented by APFTL through FFS-XXI.

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