Management Response

: Timor Leste
: 2024 - 2024 , Timor Leste (CO)
: Country Portfolio Evaluation
:
:

Timor Leste

:

UN Women Timor-Leste welcomes the findings and recommendations of its Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE). The CPE recognized the significant contributions of the Timor-Leste Country Office (TLCO) in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, noting the relevance of the Strategic Note (SN) in aligning with national and international priorities. It highlighted the critical role of TLCO’s coordination mandate and leadership in gender equality platforms, it also emphasized the need for more strategic focus and consistent engagement. The evaluation also underscored the importance of embedding systematic capacity-building, inclusive programming, and intersectional analysis, particularly for marginalized groups such as LGBTIQ+ persons and women with disabilities. Additionally, the need for strengthening resource mobilization, monitoring, and reporting systems were identified to ensure sustainable results. As highlighted in the Management Response below, TLCO has already initiated the response to some of the recommendations from the CPE which were incorporated in the Annual Work Plan 2025. The recommendations of the CPE will further influence the development of the next SN 2026-2030 and guide UN Women's ongoing work in Timor-Leste, ensuring the continued relevance and impact of its programs.

: Approved
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 1 In line with UN Women’s shift to a programmatic approach, the Country Office should clarify its vision, strategies and resources for achieving outcome-level change within UN Women’s triple mandate and emerging priorities of Timor-Leste – prioritizing the translation of policies and frameworks into action.
Management Response: The recommendation is well accepted, and TLCO is committed to aligning its vision and strategies with both the evolving priorities of Timor-Leste and UN Women's corporate mandate. UN Women Timor-Leste Country Office (TLCO) will initiate the development of its new SN 2026-2030 in 2025. The new SN will ensure a comprehensive Theory of Change (ToC) that will incorporate clear vision for the office for the next 5 years, while defining the strategies to achieve this vision. The ToC approach will be adopted at the Outcome levels as well to ensure that the office achieves outcome level changes.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018), Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Normative Support, Operational activities, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Relevance, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Develop a Theory of Change for the new Strategic Note Develop and finalise a ToC for the new SN 2026-2030 that aligns UN Women’s triple mandate with Timor-Leste’s emerging priorities, ensuring the translation of policies into concrete, measurable outcomes. Head of Office and the programme teams 2025/12 Initiated Started
2. Develop a comprehensive Integrated Resource and Results Framework (IRRF) for the new SN: TLCO will develop a IRRF as an annex to the new SN thus clearly identifying long term (5 years) resource requirement for programming. The IRRF will be supported with a resource mobilisation plan that will chart out ways to bridge any funding gaps. Head of Office and the programme teams 2025/12 Not Initiated Will be initiated in Q2 of 2025
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 2 The Country Office should prioritize its coordination mandate in Timor-Leste by establishing a strategy, in consultation with the UNCT, to enhance coherence through coordination; ensure it fulfills its role as a knowledge hub and connector for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and ensure the coordination strategy is resourced accordingly.
Management Response: TLCO partially accepts this recommendation as TLCO has a well cemented coordination strategy in implementation as it heads the Gender Theme Group (GTG), Programme Management Team (PMT) and United Nations Communication Group (UNCG) and co-chairs the UNSDCF Results Group 5, which anchors the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) agenda. The office also leverages UNCT SWAP as a tool to push the GEWE withing the UN System. This is well reflected by the fact that Timor-Leste performs well on the SWAP scorecard with more than 60% indicators exceeding requirements in 2024 and has a fully functional GTG. The development of the new UNSDCF 2026-2030 will give TLCO an opportunity to further its coordination mandate by gender mainstreaming the whole process of the new UNSDCF planning and development. In line with this, TLCO is providing support to the process of drafting the new UNSDCF 2026- 2030. The TLCO will further strengthen its strategy for UN Coordination in the new SN. Each outcome area under the new SN will clearly define how the UN Coordination mandate will be leveraged to achieve that particular outcome. The development of the new SN will be done with inputs from the Resident Coordinator’s Office and other UN Agencies.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Capacity development, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. TLCO leads the UNCT coordination group: TLCO heads the Gender Theme Group (GTG), Programme Management Team (PMT) and United Nations Communication Group (UNCG) and co-chairs the UNSDCF Results Group 5 Head of Office and the programme team 2025/03 Completed This is ongoing
2. TLCO drives the gender mainstreaming of the development process of the new UNSDCF 2026-2030: TLCO is providing extensive support to the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) to gender mainstream the new UNSDCF. Apart from reviewing and providing inputs to the CCA and UNSDCF evaluation, TLCO will also ensure capacity building of UNCT on gender mainstreaming in the first quarter of 2025 Head of Office and the programme team 2025/03 Completed This is action has been initiated.
3. Under the new SN UN Coordination will be highlighted as a cross-cutting pillar under each outcome areas with clear pathways of how it will be leveraged. Head of Office and the programme team 2025/12 Not Initiated This action will be initiated in Q2
4. Under the new SN, the TLCO will work on two products to generate evidence for coordination. The Gender Thematic Analysis of the Census 2022 and the Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP). These products will be developed in collaboration with UNCT. This provide TLCO with the evidence base to further the GEWE agenda within the UNCT and will establish the office as the knowledge hub and connector on GEWE. Head of Office and the programme team 2025/12 Initiated The gender thematic analysis of the Timor-Leste Census 2022 is completed. The CGEP will be initiated in Q2 of 2025
4. Under the new SN, the TLCO will work on two products to generate evidence for coordination. The Gender Thematic Analysis of the Census 2022 and the Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP). These products will be developed in collaboration with UNCT. This provide TLCO with the evidence base to further the GEWE agenda within the UNCT and will establish the office as the knowledge hub and connector on GEWE. Head of Office and the programme team 2025/12 Initiated The gender thematic analysis of the Timor-Leste Census 2022 is underway and will be completed in Q1 of 2025. The CGEP will be initiated in Q1 of 2025
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATIONS 3 To translate normative gains into tangible results, the Country Office should pivot from awareness campaigns to incubating models with partners, including the government and civil society. These models must align with UN Women’s triple mandate, Gender Equality Accelerators and the broader development ecosystem and should include strong capacity-building methods and clear progress indicators to monitor progress and inform decisions on scaling or adjusting the models.
Management Response: This recommendation is partially accepted. TLCO has been focusing on piloting south-south models of women led development across its thematic pillars. The first ever registered women’s weavers’ alliance and the first ever women’s mediation network are reflective of this. In both these models’ advocacy has been an integral component of programming. The advocacy work of TLCO is embedded withing programming. and therefore, we do not see the need to pivot from advocacy to proof of concept and firmly see these as intertwined and interconnected strategies. Moving ahead, and working on this recommendation, the office will scale up the model of women’s alliances to showcase impact. The office will also focus on developing one flagship programme under each of its outcome area to ensure better strengthened programming. These flagship programme will respond to UN Women’s triple mandate and normative frameworks and shift focus from awareness campaigns to developing and piloting gender equality models with government and civil society partners, ensuring capacity-building and measurable progress indicators for scaling or adjustments.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Sustainability, Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Develop 2 flagship programme in consultation with partners: Partners: co-create and pilot at least two gender equality models with government and civil society, aligning them with UN Women’s triple mandate and gender equality accelerators. Head of Office and programme leads 2025/09 Initiated
2. Develop a Standard Operating Manual (SOP) for partner M&E: TLCO will develop a comprehensive SOP which will also include an exclusive component on building capacity and monitoring of the implementing partner. This capacity-building and set up clear monitoring indicators for the models to track progress and inform decisions on scaling or adjustments. Head of Office and Programme Teams 2025/09 Completed
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATIONS 4 The Country Office should adopt a comprehensive strategy for designing and implementing its initiatives through an intersectional perspective, acknowledging the varied priorities and needs of the most marginalized stakeholder groups, especially rural women, women with disabilities and individuals of diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). This approach should guarantee meaningful involvement, empowerment and representation for these groups.
Management Response: TLCO commits to continue incorporating an intersectional perspective in its programming, ensuring the inclusion, empowerment, and representation of marginalized groups, such as rural women, women with disabilities, and individuals with diverse SOGIESC. The TLCO has been traditionally working with the marginalised communities through different programmes, it has continuously worked with women from LGBTQIA+ community and women with disability. For example, the TLCO is the administrative lead agency for the UNPRPD joint programme focusing women with disabilities. Under this programme TLCO leads on inter-ministerial coordination and CSO coordination on strengthening the country’s Disability National Action Plan (DNAP) 2021-2030. On another note, TLCO is the lead agency to support the PRIDE March, year after year, while integrating LGBTQI people and organizations representing them in mainstream programming, including Spotlight phase 1 and 2. As for rural women, TLCO has supported the drafting and dissemination of both drafts of the Maubisse Declaration, which is a seminal policy dedicated to the empowerment of rural women. Most of TLCO’s programming is in the municipalities, with Dili being the only urban city in TL, this ensures that all programming is aimed at direct capacity building and mobilization of rural women. Moving ahead in the new SN will clearly identify target groups under each outcome and will integrate the LNOB principles across all its pillar of work. Additionally, the flagship programmes that the office will develop under its two thematic areas – Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Women’s Peace and Security (WPS) will each identify marginalised communities in it target group and will also draft strategy to engage with them meaningfully.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Youth engagement, Faith based, Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Impact, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The new SN will develop and integrate clear, measurable indicators across its outcome and output areas to track the reach and impact of Country Office interventions on marginalized groups Head of Office Programme Leads/ M&E Unit 2025/12 Not Initiated
The new programmes will clearly analyse geographic selection and population targeting to make clear why certain groups are prioritized (based on an analysis of marginalization). Head of Office Programme Leads/ M&E Unit 2025/12 Initiated
Deepen engagement with key power brokers. Engage with influential community figures, such as religious and traditional community leaders on how to shift social norms. Head of Office Programme Leads/ M&E Unit 2025/12 Initiated
Deepen engagement with key power brokers. Engage with influential community figures, such as religious and traditional community leaders on how to shift social norms. Head of Office Programme Leads/ M&E Unit 2025/12 Initiated
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATIONS 5 In consultation with civil society partners, the Country Office should establish a strategy to more systematically engage civil society, ensuring the most marginalized people are benefitting from UN Women’s efforts in Timor-Leste.
Management Response: TLCO accepts the recommendation and is focused on strategizing and aligning its engagement with civil society, ensuring that marginalized groups benefit from UN Women’s initiatives and building stronger, inclusive partnerships. TLCO has been systematically building capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) under the various programmes as implementing partner. Moving ahead the office will develop a CSO engagement strategy that will complement it new SN. The strategy will also take into account the recommendation 4. The strategy will be based on analysis of the existing landscape, priority areas and programme priorities of TLCO. It will also consider the LNOB principles and ensure effective engagement with most marginalised populations. The office, to streamline its capacity building efforts with the CSO partners, will develop a capacity building plan for the all the CSO partners that the office engages with.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, National ownership, Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Impact, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop Civil Society Engagement Strategy: Develop a strategy for systematic civil society engagement, focusing on marginalized groups to ensure their participation in UN Women’s programs. This strategy will complement the new SN that the office will develop and will facilitate meaningful engagement of diverse CSOs, including led by and for persons from marginalized groups (SOGIESC, people with disabilities and youth), in key policy and coordination spaces. Head of Office and Programme Leads 2025/12 Not Initiated
Capacity building plan for the CSOs: This will entail capacity-building of the CSOs in a coordinated manner, including those representing LGBTIQ+ groups and persons with disabilities, to amplify their advocacy and outreach capabilities. Head of Office and Programme Leads 2025/09 Initiated
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 6 The Country Office should establish a resource mobilization and partnerships strategy in consultation with the Regional Office; seek dedicated support; and proactively engage donors in discussions to build a programme strategy.
Management Response: TLCO in the process of developing a resource mobilisation and partnership strategy. Country Office commits to develop a strategy to mobilize resources and build partnerships, focusing on securing funding to support priority programs and ensuring their sustainability.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Develop Resource Mobilization Plan: Develop a comprehensive resource mobilization strategy in consultation with the Regional Office, identifying key donors and funding priorities for gender equality programs Head of Office 2025/03 Completed
Engage Donors: The office sends out regular newsletters to all its partners including donors. Additionally, the office in 2024 initiated an annual donor feedback survey to engage with them effectively. moving ahead from 2025 onwards the office will organise an annual donor roundtable to discuss, understand and leverage funding opportunities. This is in addition to the Gender Equality Donor Coordination Mechanism lead and managed by UN Women. The last coordination meeting of donors was held at the UN premises on co-chaired by the EU in July 2024 to ensure coordination on the Maubisee Decleration (Policy on the Empowerment of Rural Women), Beijing +30, Analysis of the donor survey and key CEDAW recommendations. Head of Office 2025/12 Initiated
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 7 Strengthen the Country Office’s results based management approach to enhance overall programme oversight and feed into enhanced learning and decision-making.
Management Response: The recommendation to enhance our results-based management approach is accepted. The Office is focused on strengthening its RBM framework by improving M&E systems to track outcomes and guide decision-making, invest in capacity building for our team and partners to ensure timely, accurate data collection and reporting, ultimately improving program impact and efficiency. Taking forward the recommendations the office has built in a national position of a M&E Analyst and the hiring is underway.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women economic empowerment (SPs before 2018), Peace and security (SPs before 2018), Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018), Global norms and standards (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management, Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Impact, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop M&E tools: The office will develop and implement 4 M&E tools to streamline and enhance the effectiveness of the M&E processes. TLCO will develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) clearly defining the roles and responsibility of the M&E team and the support that will be extended to the office. As annex to it the office will also develop a monitoring calendar to ensure that all the monitoring visits are duly planned and executed as well as documented. The office will also develop a capacity building plan and a reporting calendar Head of Office and the M&E Unit 2025/03 Completed
Implement Learning Mechanisms: Develop regular learning and reflection opportunities, using M&E findings to adapt strategies and improve program effectiveness. Head of Office and the M&E Unit 2025/03 Completed