HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SALUTES EAST TIMOR INDEPENDENCE

20 May 2002



United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson today saluted the people of East Timor on their Independence Day.

“The people of East Timor have shown the world that freedom and justice cannot forever be denied”, Mrs. Robinson said. “Today we are witnesses to the birth of a State conceived in pain and suffering but determined to build a foundation of respect for the dignity of all its members”.

Recalling her visit to East Timor in August 2000, Mrs. Robinson said it was hard to imagine at the time that the country would move forward so quickly towards reconciliation, democracy and the rule of law. “This is what can be achieved when the international community, through the United Nations, works together to ensure respect for international law”, she said. “East Timor is truly a beacon of hope for people around the world struggling to rebuild their societies on a basis of justice and human rights”.

To illustrate the progress achieved in East Timor, the High Commissioner pointed to the establishment of a Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation and steps taken to establish a national human rights institution through which the voice of the people can be heard. East Timor thus joins a rapidly growing number of countries in the region that are providing important national mechanisms through which international treaty obligations can be implemented effectively. Mrs. Robinson also cited the establishment of United Nations Mission of Support for East Timor (UNMISET) and its human rights unit by the Security Council as evidence of the commitment of the UN and East Timor to continue on the path to consolidating institutions and the rule of law.

“My Office, which is undertaking a programme of technical cooperation with the country’s authorities, will continue to support East Timor as it strives for the highest level of respect for human rights”, she concluded.



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