“IN VICTORY BE MAGNANIMOUS, NEVER SEEK TO HUMILIATE THE ADVERSARY; IF HE IS ON HIS KNEES HOLD HIS HANDS, PLEAD WITH HIM TO RISE UP. WALK HALFWAY AND MEET THE VANQUISHED ONES; EMBRACE THEM, INVITE THEM TO JOIN IN A NEW ENTERPRISE OF PEACE, A NEW FUTURE FOR ALL. THIS HAS BEEN MY BELIEF AND IN MANY WAYS THIS HAS BEEN OUR PRACTICE SINCE INDEPENDENCE.”
JOSÉ RAMOS-HORTA
President-elect, 2022.
On 21 April, 2022, in a landslide election, Dr. José Ramos-Horta was elected President of Timor-Leste for a second term. He had previous served as Foreign Minister and Senior Cabinet Minister (2000 – 2006), Prime Minister (2007 – 2008), and President (2008-2012). Dr. Ramos-Horta will be inaugurated and assume office on 20 May, 2022, the 20th anniversary of Timor-Leste’s restoration of independence.
A founding father of the first new democracy of the millennium.
In exile for 24 years, he was the lone voice of his people, the people of Timor-Leste (East Timor) as they suffered one of the most brutal occupations of the last century. After leading his country to independence, he served as the President of the century’s newest democracy.
News: Articles, Speeches, Videos
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa congratulates Ramos-Horta
Upon learning of the election results, the President of the Republic spoke this morning on the phone with José Ramos Horta, to whom he conveyed, on behalf of the Portuguese People and on his own, the warmest congratulations on the election as President of the Republic...
Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee and Nobel Summit
Good morning from Rome from Livia and Leymah Gbowee! We just heard the news!!! Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee (Liberia) and Livia Malcanjo of the Permanent Secretariat of Nobel Laureates
Nobel Laureate Muhammed Yunus
Dear MR PRESIDENT: CONGRATULATIONS FOR A LANDSLIDE VICTORY!!!! I AM VERY HAPPY TO HEAR THE NEWS!!!! NOW GET READY FOR THE REAL HISTORY MAKING!!! WISHING YOU A FANTASTIC PRESIDENTIAL TERM!!! M Yunus Nobel Peace Prize (2006), Founder of Microcredit
Sydney Morning Herald: Ramos-Horta Reclaims Presidency
Singapore: A decade after being unseated, Jose Ramos-Horta is headed back to East Timor’s presidential palace where he will be in charge of resolving the country’s bitter political feud. The Nobel Peace laureate and former president romped to victory in a run-off vote...
Guardian: José Ramos-Horta Elected President for a Second Term
The Nobel prize winner José Ramos-Horta has scored a landslide victory in Timor-Leste’s presidential election, according to preliminary results published by the election secretariat. The 72-year-old secured 397,145 votes, or 62.09%, against incumbent Francisco...
US State Dept Congratulates Dr. Ramos-Horta
We congratulate President-elect José Ramos-Horta on his election as Timor-Leste’s next president and look forward to working with President-elect Ramos-Horta to strengthen the enduring partnership between the United States and Timor-Leste. Rooted in shared values and...
Newsweek: We Cannot Afford to Look Away from Myanmar
Since the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military junta, overthrew a democratically elected government on Feb. 1, it has brutally suppressed the nation's citizens and democratic leaders. On Dec. 6, the regime sentenced elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi to prison,...
Meer: Letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
His Excellency Abiy Ahmed, PhDPrime MinisterFederal Democratic Republic of EthiopiaAddis Ababa This letter was signed and transmitted to Prime Minister Abiy by HE José Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President of Timor-Leste. Your Excellency, Prime...
Newsweek: Global Leaders to Ethiopian PM: End Atrocities in Tigray
The seven-month conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region has devolved into a humanitarian crisis, with ominous signs that atrocities there could escalate. The U.S. and other countries are finally raising the alarm, but Tigray needs action now. Ethiopian Prime Minister...
Ramos-Horta on Myanmar, COVID-19 and the New World, by the Global Peacebuilding Association
A Report on Online Conversation on Myanmar, COVID-19, and the New World by the Global Peacebuilding Association, 11 June, 2021 Read report Part 1: General Overview Mr. Ramos-Horta started his presentation by stating that since February, the entire society of Myanmar...
Angela Merkel, a Tribute
A letter to the Norwegian Nobel Peace Committee In 2018 I wrote a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Peace Committee, a personal tribute to Angela Merkel. I met her once in her office in Berlin. She is not someone I know well, not what one can consider a friend. I actually...
Meer Magazine: Vaccine as Global Common Good
We are in the grip of a historic pandemic; the Coronavirus, which causes Covid-19 is threatening the whole of the human family. Covid-19 does not discriminate. From Canada to Australia, from Sweden to Somalia, from China to Brazil, outbreaks of Covid-19 are claiming...
IMAGES OF TIMOR-LESTE
Timor-Leste in
pictures
See his home through his eyes; the island that was once the scene of mass executions, torture centers and atrocities, enjoying the dividends of peace today.
INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUILDING
Taking peace building to the world.
Through high level missions for the UN Secretary General and other international peace building and diplomatic efforts, Ramos-Horta shares the wisdom of experience to make a better world.