The Asian Women Parliamentarian Caucus (AWPC) meeting focused on the National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” of Sri Lanka. The “National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment” which was drafted under the leadership of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus in Parliament of Sri Lanka and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers provides the vision to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment to improve the overall quality of life for all people.
This gender policy was initiated after a AWPC meeting with representatives of the European External Action in 2021. In order to understand the impact of the gender policy in Sri Lanka, the Parliament of Colombo invited KAS to host its annual AWPC meeting in Sri Lanka.
The Asian Women Parliamentarian Caucus meeting was officially inaugurated by the Speaker of the Parliament Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. The inaugural panel also included His Excellency Dr. Felix Neumann, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Secretary General of the Parliament Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera and leaders of the ruling and opposition party who underlined the importance of the gender policy and its significance for Sri Lanka.
In her welcome remarks, Dr Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Head of the Women Caucus of the Parliament of Sri Lanka elucidiated how the gender policy was initiated after a closed door meeting held between AWPC members and representatives of the EU External Action. She highlighted the importance of networks like AWPC and how it provides the opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from each others experiences and best practices.
A series of meetings and interactions were also conducted between various stakeholders pf Sri Lanka to understand the inclusiveness and diversity of gender policies in the region along with the best practices and challenges of implementing these policies .
These meetings were attended by caucus members from 12 countries - Bhutan, Germany Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan Thailand ,Timor Leste and Vietnam. We were also joined by the members of the Women Caucus as well as members of the Select Committee on Gender Equality of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
The Caucus also interacted with the grassroots-level women leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the Election Commission of Sri Lanka (ECSL) to understand the challenges women encounter in participating in free and fair elections. This discussion presented a valuable opportunity for sharing insights, exchanging ideas on gender inclusion within electoral processes, emphasizing legal reforms, as well as addressing the challenges and concerns of civil society actors advocating for gender and elections.
In the second day of the AWPC meeting, the caucus members took part in a panel discussion where they reflected on their country situations, while highlighting gaps and improvements that needed to be made in order to achieve gender parity not only in their respective country but in Asia as a whole.
The AWPC meeting concluded with a visit to the Helmut Kohl Maternity Hospital in Galle which has been considered a beacon of the seventy years of Bilateral relations between Germany and Sri Lanka.
