S/RES/1969 (2011)
Security Council Distr.: General
24 February 2011
11-24286 (E)
*1124286*
Resolution 1969 (2011)
Adopted by the Security Council at its 6487th meeting, on
24 February 2011
The Security Council,
Reaffirming all its previous resolutions and statements on the situation in
Timor-Leste, in particular its resolutions 1599 (2005), 1677 (2006), 1690 (2006),
1703 (2006), 1704 (2006), 1745 (2007), 1802 (2008), 1867 (2009) and 1912 (2010),
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General of 25 January 2011
(S/2011/32),
Reaffirming its full commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial
integrity and national unity of Timor-Leste and the promotion of long-term stability
in the country,
Taking note of general stability through further improvements in the political
and security situation, and welcoming the strong commitment of the leadership and
other stakeholders in Timor-Leste to fostering national dialogue and peaceful and
inclusive participation in democratic processes, and their ongoing efforts to promote
continued peace, stability and unity,
Welcoming efforts by the Government to promote cooperation and dialogue
between local and national authorities, including through consultations in December
2010 on the Government’s development plans for 2011, and encouraging further
efforts in this regard,
Welcoming also the efforts of the political leadership of Timor-Leste to create
opportunities for all political parties to make contributions to issues of national
interest, as exemplified by the concluding conference of the National Consensus
Dialogue on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation, held in October 2010,
Reaffirming the need for respect for the independence of the judiciary,
stressing the need to act against impunity, while noting the continuing serious
resource constraints of the judicial system, encouraging the leadership of Timor-
Leste to continue to increase its efforts to establish accountability for serious
criminal offences including those committed during the 2006 crisis, as
recommended by the Independent Special Commission of Inquiry,
Welcoming the commencement in September 2010 of deliberations by the
National Parliament of Timor-Leste on the draft laws on reparations and on the
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establishment of follow-on institutions to the Commission for Reception, Truth and
Reconciliation and the Commission of Truth and Friendship, pursuant to the
resolution of the Parliament of Timor-Leste adopted on 14 December 2009, and
encouraging further progress in finalizing this legislation,
Welcoming the progress made in strengthening capacities in the justice and
corrections sectors, which has resulted in enhanced access to justice, reductions in
pending criminal prosecution cases, and improved prison infrastructure, as well as
the enactment of important legislation, such as the Criminal Code and the Law
Against Domestic Violence,
Recognizing the steps taken by the Government of Timor-Leste to further
strengthen the institutional capacities and effectiveness of the Anti-Corruption
Commission and the Civil Service Commission and to consolidate broad support for
anti-corruption measures, and emphasizing the importance of effective laws,
institutions, mechanisms and norms relating to the transparency, accountability and
efficiency of Public Administration for the country’s long-term stability and
development,
Welcoming the commencement of a jointly-owned transition planning and
implementation mechanism, including the first meeting of the High-Level
Committee on Transition and agreement on the establishment of seven joint
technical working groups, and stressing the importance of this process proceeding in
a manner that supports national priorities and concerns,
Welcoming the further progress towards the full resumption of primary
policing responsibilities by the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL),
Reaffirming the need to implement fully the “Arrangement on the Restoration
and Maintenance of Public Security in Timor-Leste and Assistance to the Reform,
Restructuring and Rebuilding of PNTL and the Ministry of Interior”, concluded
between the Government of Timor-Leste and UNMIT on 1 December 2006, and
expressing concern that the Government of Timor-Leste has certified 52 PNTL
officers who face serious disciplinary and criminal charges,
Noting the continuing need for support to the PNTL’s further institutional
development and capacity-building, particularly through the transfer of skills to
address existing demands, following its resumption of policing responsibilities in all
districts and units,
Expressing its full support for the role of the international security forces in
assisting the Government of Timor-Leste and UNMIT, in the maintenance of law
and stability, in response to the requests of the Government of Timor-Leste,
Welcoming the progress of the Government of Timor-Leste in achieving strong
economic growth and socio-economic development, including reductions in the
percentage of the population living in poverty and the improvement of human
development indicators, while acknowledging the challenges that remain in
achieving inclusive and sustainable growth, particularly through the promotion of
rural development, the private sector, and employment generation, especially for the
youth, and by regulating land and property titles and ownership,
Welcoming also the commitment and action of the Government of Timor-Leste
to promote the objectives of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), including
measures taken to protect women and girls from gender based violence, especially
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those related to the implementation of the new Law Against Domestic Violence, and
the work of the PNTL Vulnerable Persons Units, and other measures relating to the
situation of women and girls,
Noting the efforts by the Government of Timor-Leste to finalize the National
Strategic Development Plan covering the period from 2011 to 2030, and stressing
the need to continue such efforts,
Recalling that, while Timor-Leste has seen progress in many aspects of its
political, economic and social development, as well as in human resources
development and institution building, the country still faces many challenges in
areas related to the underlying factors of the 2006 crisis and needs continued
assistance of bilateral and multilateral partners in order to fully realize its potential
for equitable and sustainable growth,
Acknowledging the contribution that Timor-Leste has made in demonstrating
the critical importance of institution building in post conflict peacebuilding,
Stressing the importance for Timor-Leste’s long-term stability of ensuring a
peaceful, credible and transparent electoral process in 2012,
Stressing further the importance of promoting a continued understanding of,
and respect for, the checks and balances among the core institutions of State,
Welcoming the continued efforts of the Timorese Government in providing for
the full reintegration of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) into their
communities and into the Timorese society,
Recognizing the important role that UNMIT continues to play in promoting
peace, stability and development in Timor-Leste, and expressing its appreciation for
the efforts of UNMIT and the United Nations Country Team, under the leadership of
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG),
1. Decides to extend the mandate of UNMIT until 26 February 2012 at the
current authorized levels;
2. Urges all parties in Timor-Leste, in particular political leaders, to
continue to work together and engage in political dialogue and to consolidate peace,
democracy, rule of law, sustainable social and economic development, promotion of
protection of human rights and advancement of national reconciliation in the
country, and reaffirms its full support for the continued efforts of the SRSG aimed at
addressing critical political and security-related issues facing the country, including
enhancing a culture of democratic governance, through an inclusive and
collaborative processes;
3. Requests UNMIT to extend the necessary support, within its current
mandate, for the preparation of the parliamentary and presidential elections of 2012,
as requested by the Government of Timor-Leste, and in accordance with the
recommendations of the planned electoral assessment mission, and encourages the
international community to assist in this process;
4. Reaffirms the importance that the Government of Timor-Leste continues
the review and reform of the security sector in Timor-Leste, in particular the need to
delineate between the roles and responsibilities of the Falintil-Forças de Defesa de
Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) and the PNTL, to strengthen legal frameworks, and to
enhance civilian oversight and accountability mechanisms of both security
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institutions, and requests UNMIT to continue to support the Government of Timor-
Leste, as requested, in its efforts in the country;
5. Emphasizes the importance of taking all measures necessary to ensure the
credibility and integrity of the PNTL, including resolving any outstanding
disciplinary and criminal charges faced by PNTL officers;
6. Encourages further efforts to complete the resumption of primary
policing responsibilities by the PNTL in all districts and units, on the basis of the
criteria mutually agreed to by the Government of Timor-Leste and UNMIT,
including through jointly agreed measures to enhance PNTL institutional capacity in
the remaining districts and units;
7. Endorses the reconfiguration of the UNMIT police component to take
account of the changing nature of its role and function in Timor-Leste and the plan
of its drawdown, in accordance with the wishes of the Government of Timor-Leste,
conditions on the ground and following the successful completion of 2012 electoral
process, as recommended in paragraph 61 of the report of the Secretary-General
(S/2011/32);
8. Requests UNMIT to continue to provide interim law enforcement and
ensure the maintenance of public security in those districts and units in which the
PNTL has yet to resume primary policing responsibilities, and, following PNTL’s
resumption of primary policing responsibilities, to provide operational support to
the PNTL, within its current mandate, as mutually agreed between the Government
of Timor-Leste and UNMIT;
9. Requests UNMIT to support the further institutional development and
capacity-building of the PNTL following its resumption of primary policing
responsibilities in all districts and units, including through the prompt deployment
of the 19 additional civilian experts within its police component as referred to in the
Secretary-General’s report, expresses support for the work of the joint PNTL and
UNMIT Police working group in developing a plan for further capacity-building
support for the PNTL focusing on the five major areas for its further development
identified in the PNTL Strategic Development Plan for 2011-12, and emphasizes the
significant role to be played in this by other bilateral and multilateral partners and
the importance of promoting Timorese leadership;
10. Underscores the need for the concept of operations and rules of
engagement to be regularly updated as necessary and to be fully in line with the
provisions of this resolution;
11. Reaffirms the importance of ongoing efforts to achieve accountability and
justice, expresses its support for the work of UNMIT in assisting the Government of
Timor-Leste in this regard within its mandate, as well as for the initiatives to
strengthen the Office of the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice, and underlines
the importance of the implementation by the Government of Timor-Leste of the
recommendations of the United Nations Special Commission of Inquiry report of
2006 (S/2006/822), including paragraphs 225 through 228 of the report;
12. Underlines the importance of a coordinated approach to the justice sector
reform, taking into account the recommendations of the Independent
Comprehensive Needs Assessment and through implementation of the Timorese
Government’s Justice Sector Strategic Plan, and the ongoing need to increase
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Timorese ownership and strengthen national capacity in judicial line functions,
including the training and specialization of national lawyers and judges, and
emphasizes the need for sustained support of the international community in
capacity-building and strengthening of institutions in this sector, building on the
recent positive developments, including the drafting and enactment of important
legislation, such as the Criminal Code and the Law Against Domestic Violence;
13. Requests UNMIT to continue its efforts, adjusting them as necessary to
enhance the effectiveness of the judiciary, in assisting the Government of Timor-
Leste in carrying out the proceedings recommended by the Commission of Inquiry;
14. Calls upon UNMIT to continue to support the Government of Timor-
Leste in its efforts to coordinate donor cooperation in areas of institutional capacity
building;
15. Recognizes the importance of the development plans devised by the
Government of Timor-Leste, especially the attention paid to infrastructure, rural
development and human resources capacity development, and in this regard, calls
upon UNMIT to continue to cooperate and coordinate with the United Nations
agencies, funds and programmes, as well as all relevant partners, to support the
Government of Timor-Leste and relevant institutions in designing poverty reduction,
improving education, promotion of sustainable livelihood and economic growth
policies;
16. Encourages the Government of Timor-Leste to strengthen peacebuilding
perspectives in such areas as employment and empowerment, especially focusing on
rural areas and youth, as well as local socio-economic development in particular in
the agricultural sector;
17. Requests UNMIT to fully take into account gender considerations as set
out in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009) and 1889
(2009) as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate, stressing the importance of
strengthening the responsiveness of the security sector to specific needs of women,
and reaffirms its resolutions 1674 (2006) and 1894 (2009) on protection of civilians
and 1502 (2003) on the protection of humanitarian and United Nations personnel;
18. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take the necessary
measures to ensure full compliance by UNMIT with the United Nations zero
tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse and to keep the Council informed,
and urges those countries contributing troops and police to take appropriate
preventive action and to ensure full accountability in cases of such conduct
involving their personnel;
19. Requests also the Secretary-General to keep the Security Council
regularly informed of the developments on the ground and to submit to the Security
Council, no later than 15 October 2011 and 26 January 2012, reports that include an
update regarding the High Level Committee on Transition and progress concerning
the critical tasks that will need to be accomplished post-election, and on planning
concerning the United Nations presence in Timor-Leste beyond 2012 elections;
20. Reaffirms the importance of the medium-term strategy and benchmarks
for measuring and tracking progress in Timor-Leste, and assessing the level and
form of United Nations support and cooperation with the Government of Timor-
Leste while keeping the benchmarks under active review, and underlines the
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importance of ownership of the strategy by the leaders and people of Timor-Leste in
this process;
21. Encourages the Government of Timor-Leste, UNMIT, United Nations
Country Team and other relevant stakeholders, including within the framework of
the High Level Committee on Transition, to continue to intensify the ongoing
discussion on the strategy and modalities for the transition and preparation for
future changes to the nature and scope of United Nations presence on the ground
post-UNMIT;
22. Decides to remain seized of the matter.
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