Sri Lanka moves towards adopting first-ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security with the support of Japan and UN Women

Colombo, Sri Lanka (6 December 2022) – This morning, MIZUKOSHI Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka and the Head of UN Women in Sri Lanka, Ramaaya Salgado presented Sri Lanka’s first-ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) to Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe, State Minister of Women and Child Affairs.

“This action plan provides a clear roadmap to provide targeted support for women who have been affected by conflict and crises. Its adoption is a critical step forward in ensuring that no woman or girl is left behind in recovery efforts”, said Kumarasinghe.

As the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security goes into its twenty second year, its reach – both globally and regionally – has grown significantly, with an increasing number of countries formulating and implementing National Action Plans developed in consultation with G7 countries’ representatives in Sri Lanka including Japan, women’s groups and civil society.

With its own National Action Plan now ready for Cabinet adoption, Sri Lanka stands poised to join the number of states committed to implement the Women, Peace and Security Agenda which calls for greater participation of women in peacebuilding and recovery efforts.Emphasizing this, Ramaaya Salgado, Head of Office at UN Women Sri Lanka noted, “peace and development can only be sustainable when women have an equal seat at the table and when their voices are included in decisions that affect their lives”.

The National Action Plan is based on consultations in each of the 25 districts with women who were directly and indirectly affected by conflict, local government officials, and representatives from civil society and local activists. It was developed with technical support from UN Women as part of a 3-year joint partnership between the Government of Japan, the Government of Sri Lanka and UN Women on the ‘Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Sri Lanka’ funded by the Government of Japan.

MIZUKOSHI, Ambassador of Japan emphasized; “the Government of Japan encourages the timely adoption of this National Action Plan by the Cabinet and hopes its implementation to ensure practical measures for protection and empowerment of women in Sri Lanka”.

The adoption of the National Action Plan will provide a key framework to address issues affecting women and girls in Sri Lanka, as it is very much relevant to how Sri Lanka adapts and responds to the crisis and its challenges.