(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Annual Forum of Asian Women Parliamentarian Caucus was held under the theme “Inclusivity & Diversity in Gender Equalityin Parliaments in Asia”in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Members of parliament from Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Nepal, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, Philippines, TimorLeste, including Sri Lanka joined this meeting.
According to an invitation made by Dr.SudarshiniFernandopulle, Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarian Caucus of Sri Lanka, at the annual meeting of Asian women parliamentarians held in Singapore last year, the annual meeting of Asian women parliamentarians in 2023 was held in Sri Lanka this year.
The importance of standing up against various violence against women, including military situations, as well as the importance of creating gender equality in the world, was discussed in this meeting.
The policy decisions taken and the services rendered for the betterment of women in Sri Lanka through the establishing of the Sri Lanka Women Parliamentarian Caucus received special appreciation at this meeting.
The inauguration of the 2023 AWPC was held at Parliament attended by Hon Speaker Mahinda YapaAbeywardena, Honorable Deputy Speaker AjithRajapakse, Chairperson of Sri Lanka Women Parliamentarian Caucus Dr.SudarshaneeFernandopulle, German Member of Parliament Romina Catharina Plonsker, Committee Deputy Chairman AngajanRamanatha, German Ambassador, German KAS Foundation Director Andreas Michel Klein, its Program Manager Megha Sharma, Sri Lanka Parliament Secretary General KushaniRohanadeera, Sri Lanka Parliament Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General Chaminda Kularatne, Assistant Secretary General HansaAbeyratne. , a group of government officials from several foreign countries also joined.
Special awards were also given to Honorable Speaker Mahinda YapaAbeywardena, Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Women Parliamentarian CaucusDr.SudarshaniFernandopulle, Secretary General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, KushaniRohanadeera, for their contribution to the success of the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Asian Women Parliamentarians Caucus.
Members of the Asian Parliamentarians’ Caucus, who joined an observation tour of the Parliament, went to the Election Commission and met with its members and representatives of civil organizations and held discussions.
Also, the members of the Asian Parliamentarians’ Caucus and the group held discussions with the members of government institutions and non-governmental organizations as well as joined several observational field visits.
With the support of the German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, a network of 40 Asian women parliamentarians has met annually since 2011 to promote, strengthen and develop women’s political leadership in their countries through policy discussions and capacity-building programmes. Formally established in 2014 through a regional conference held in Singapore, the AWPC aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Promote stronger engagement on policy issues by encouraging regional discussions on policies affecting women’s leadership in Asia
- Strengthening the capacities of individual parliamentarians through networking, plenary sessions and skill-enhancing workshops
- Identify the leadership challenges faced by women parliamentarians in Asia and provide adequate support through leadership training and policy workshops.
The Sri Lanka Women Parliamentarian Caucus, Sri Lanka Parliament and KAS Foundation jointly organized this year’s annual meeting and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation took the financial contribution for the event
