Annual Nobel Peace Laureate lecture

José Ramos Horta

President of East Timor José Ramos Horta

The challenges of reconciliation and eradicating extreme poverty after civil war

Friday 5 March, 5pm Great Hall D Floor, Richmond Building, Doors open from 4pm

For free tickets go to

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/67731

East Timor was a Portuguese colony until independence in 1975. This lasted just 9 days before the country was forcibly annexed by neighbouring Indonesia. There ensued a brutal 24 year-long civil war. In 1999 the UN intervened with a peacekeeping force and East Timor became independent again in 2002. It is still suffering the human and economic consequences of the civil war – poverty, displacement, shattered infrastructure and the legacy of widespread human rights violations.

Horta was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his sustained efforts to end the oppression of the East Timorese people. As the youngest person to address the United Nations, he was successful in convincing UN representatives to pass a resolution supporting the independence of East Timor. Despite this victory, Indonesia continued its occupation. José continued to push the UN and other world leaders to convince Indonesia to allow East Timor to regain its freedom. In the year 2000, the people of East Timor won their struggle for independence and became the world’s newest democracy. Despite the fact that four of his eleven brothers and sisters were killed by the Indonesian military, José believes that peace can only come to East Timor though peace and forgiveness.

This lecture forms part of the PeaceJam project, where young people work with Nobel Peace Prize winners to become effective peacemakers themselves.

For more information see: http://www.brad.ac.uk/peace/NewsandEvents/PeaceJam/ and

www.peacejam.org.uk