02 June 2010

UNDP: Brazil and UNDP extend collaboration to strengthen capacity in justice sector

UNDP 27 May 2010 - A protocol extending the cooperation agreement in support of the justice sector between the government of Brazil and UNDP was signed at a small ceremony in Dili on Tuesday 25 May. The extension of the agreement was signed by Mr Edson Marinho Duarte Monteiro, the Ambassador of Brazil, and Ms Mikiko Tanaka, the UNDP Country Director.

The original agreement was signed in August 2006, and has been extended on four previous occasions. Under this fifth extension, Brazil has agreed to provide one judge, two prosecutors, three public defenders and four judicial clerks through the UNDP Justice System Programme until December 2011.

"We are proud to continue our support to the justice sector in Timor-Leste, and to continue our strong collaboration with the UNDP's Justice System Programme, by providing much needed technical expertise to the justice institutions," said Mr Monteiro, the Ambassador of Brazil.

The Brazilian magistrates and public defenders will help to strengthen Timor-Leste's justice sector by providing mentoring and support for the national judges, prosecutors and public defenders. They will assist in promoting greater access to justice to the citizens of Timor-Leste.

One Brazilian public defender has already been working in Timor-Leste since 2008, and two more public defenders are scheduled to arrive next week, following a joint recruitment process involving Brazil, the Office of the Public Defender and UNDP. The joint recruitment of the two prosecutors has already commenced with the Office of the Prosecutor General and are expected to arrive later in the year.

At the conclusion of the signing ceremony the UNDP Country Director, Ms Mikiko Tanaka, remarked, "We greatly appreciate and value the long-term commitment of the Brazilian Government to partner with UNDP to strengthen the justice system in Timor-Leste."

The UNDP Justice System Programme is supported by Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

http://www.tl.undp.org

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