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Timor-Leste, as the youngest country in Asia, marked the 23rd anniversary of its restoration of independence in 2025. Over the past two decades, the nation has achieved significant progress in economic and social development, with notable improvements in access to essential services such as health, education, and water and sanitation. However, emerging from a traumatic history of colonialism, conflict, and political violence, Timor-Leste continues to grapple with challenges in achieving positive peace—a necessary foundation for sustainable development.

Timor-Leste requires enhanced partnerships and cooperation through various modalities, including North-South, South-South, bilateral, and multilateral collaborations. Such partnerships foster voluntary exchanges of knowledge, lessons learned, and good practices.

Under the cooperative partnership frameworks, and in alignment with global initiatives such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SAMOA Pathway, and the Buenos Aires Outcome Document on South-South Cooperation, UNESCO supports Timor-Leste in its Conflict Reconciliation and Peacebuilding efforts. This includes the implementation of Digitalization of Chega National Centre for Conflict Reconciliation and Peace in Timor-Leste project supported by KOICA, promoting Quality History and Peace Education to empower the young generation as the driving force for inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable development. Strengthening Timor-Leste’s engagement in regional reconciliation and peacebuilding initiatives also reinforces the country’s contribution to broader regional and international efforts.

The International Meeting aims to highlight the roles of memory institutions including archives and museums and history education as critical tools for reconciliation and peacebuilding. The specific objectives are:

• Fostering Policy Dialogue: Share Timor-Leste’s vision, efforts, and challenges in reconciliation and peacebuilding with regional and international partners.

  • Learn from regional and international efforts in reconciliation and peacebuilding, particularly those of the ASEAN community and the Republic of Korea.

  • Explore ways to enhance Timor-Leste’s engagement in regional and international reconciliation and peacebuilding initiatives.

• Strengthening Regional and International Partnerships: Share experiences in creating, preserving, and promoting collective memory, especially in relation to traumatic historical events such as wars and conflicts.

  • Exchange good practices, lessons learned, and challenges in historical archive management and digitalization to improve preservation and public access.

  • Discuss innovative approaches in history and peace education, focusing on reconciliation and peacebuilding through memory institutions (e.g., Archives, Museums, and libraries) and formal school education.