As the sun rises over the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka stands as a testament to the intrinsic bond between its people and the vast aquatic resources that surround the country. As an island nation, the fisheries sector plays a significant role in shaping Sri Lanka's social and economic life. With a coastline of over 1,700 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone exceeding 500,000 km2, fisheries remain a linchpin for the country's food security and economy. In the vibrant tapestry of Sri Lanka's social and economic life, the fishing industry stands as a thread that weaves through coastal communities and inland landscapes. With three main subsectors – coastal, offshore, and inland fisheries – this industry sustains the livelihoods of over 2.5 million coastal residents across the country.     Fish, constituting 50% of Sri Lankans' animal protein consumption, underscores the sector's pivotal role in ensuring food security. Sri Lanka’s fisheries industry has immense potential to increase income sources, improve fishing stock status, and gain market recognition through aquaculture farming. Despite vast aquatic resources, the journey of Sri Lanka's fisheries has not been without its share of storms. From the lingering consequences of conflict to overfishing and impacts of climate change, the sector has weathered several difficult challenges.     Challenges facing Sri Lanka’s fisheries sector Coastal communities, once devastated by war, now grapple with the aftermath and the difficulties of rebuilding lives and livelihoods. Traditional reliance on the ocean for sustenance is under threat due to increased competition and destructive practices, such as dynamite fishing. The struggle is not only economic but also environmental, as local ecosystems face risks from external pressures. The need for alternative income sources, as seen in the shift toward eco-tourism and cooperative endeavours, reflects the urgency for sustainable solutions. Overfishing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as depletion of fish stocks are also pressing issues. The sector is heavily impacted by effects of climate change on the marine environment, posing threats to sustainability. While aquaculture farming presents promising income sources, there is a great need for diversification, innovative processing methods, and increased value addition along the value chain. Sri Lanka, a significant importer of fishery products, faces challenges in domestic production, necessitating imports to meet the demand for dried fish and sprats. The role of fisheries-affiliated industries that provide inputs such as crafts, gear, and infrastructure is crucial for sustainable development.     Other challenges facing fisheries in Sri Lanka concern the occupational hazards and increasingly precarious nature of the profession. Traditional labour relations built on social norms, reciprocity, and trust, which historically provided some form of labour protection, are proving insufficient in the face of mechanization, modernization, and globalization. The expansion of deep-sea fisheries presents risks due to the hazardous and isolated nature of fishing, exacerbated by inadequate legal frameworks and a lack of comprehensive labour protection. The sector, largely considered 'informal', often lacks formal work agreements, leaving fishers vulnerable in case of labour-related disputes. Despite advancements in technology, occupational safety remains a concern, with low adherence to safety measures.   Sustainability and food security In the face of these challenges, the United Nations works in partnership with the fisheries sector and other stakeholders to support livelihoods and enhance resilience within the fisheries sector in Sri Lanka. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are among the agencies leading this effort in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Fisheries, National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA), and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).       FAO-led initiatives, such as the ‘Technical Assistance in Sea Cucumber Aquaculture and Processing project’, contribute to the development of technical skills and management, fostering sea cucumber industry growth. The project also extends its reach to a comprehensive study on sea cucumber stocks, new guidelines, and strengthening sea ranching programmes. Furthermore, FAO addresses post-harvest losses through projects that focus on refrigeration technology for multiday fishing vessels and sustainable fishing practices. These aim to reduce food waste, support capacities to adapt to and withstand climate change, and enhance the entire fish value chain.     Promoting inclusive and decent work opportunities in the fisheries sector, ILO is supporting Sri Lanka’s journey towards ratification of the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188). Supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the Government of Norway,  ILO has conducted on-the-ground consultations across the island with fishers, boat owners, fisher families and other relevant groups, and has assisted the Government in  developing a roadmap towards ratification of the Work in Fishing Convention. Dividends of ratification of C188 will include improved work conditions and social security, improved image of the sector, as well as increased competitiveness in the global market.     Empowering sustainable livelihoods In collaboration with the European Union Support to District Development Programme, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting the development of sustainable practices in Sri Lanka's fisheries sector. The Vidattaltivu Eco Tourism Society, established under this programme, is a testament to UNDP's commitment to revitalizing coastal communities. In Vidattaltivu, a coastal town in the Mannar district, the programme facilitated the establishment of an eco-tourism initiative, providing infrastructure support such as a boat yard and improved dock access. By empowering youth to embrace entrepreneurship and promoting their involvement in governance, UNDP aims to create alternative sources of income beyond traditional fishing. The programme addresses challenges faced by fishing communities, including competition, and promotes sustainable practices. Through the ‘Catalytic Support to Peacebuilding programme’, UNDP support fishermen like Kopal Nilukshan, a fisherman based in Soodaikudah, who was formerly displaced due to conflict. Kopal has been provided with new boats, GPS systems, and nets. This initiative enhances livelihoods, fosters cooperation through local cooperatives, and contributes to the overall economic development of fishing communities.     Similarly, the World Food Programme (WFP), has assisted in the scaling up of the freshwater fish value chain in drought-prone districts in Sri Lanka. The project was part of a wider resilience-building and livelihood diversification initiative for farmers and fishing communities in areas vulnerable to climate shocks. With support from the Swiss Development and Cooperation, the project has provided equipment and training to ensure that these fishing communities have adequate knowledge and resources to carry out their businesses. With WFP’s support, their daily income has improved almost 5-fold (up to LKR 5000/- per day from LKR 1000/-)  providing a glimmer of hope for better business prospects.   Transforming gender dynamics In Sri Lanka, low-skill, low-wage jobs within the fishing industry tend to be predominately occupied by women. To address this gender-based discrepancy, ILO has facilitated the establishment of a sea food processing factory in the area, opening-up much needed employment opportunities for women, and training to progress in the career.  In an effort to break the male-centric culture and decision-making processes in fisheries cooperatives, ILO also facilitates awareness-raising, engages in provincial-level discussions, and advocates for systematic chance at the policy level. As a result, ILO successfully increased the participation of women in cooperative boards, helping to ensure that their perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.     Furthermore, UNDP's engagement with the Valalai Women’s Rural Development Society showcases a commitment to empowering women in the fisheries sector. The programme has enabled the establishment of a food and beverage outlet, which supports local women entrepreneurs, contributes to community development, and helps foster economic resilience.   Charting the course ahead: collective action for a sustainable future While strides have been made, much remains to be done to ensure that fisheries in Sri Lanka are equiped with the tools, skills and resources needed to thrive.  Continued support for eco-tourism, business development, and skill enhancement can gradually reduce dependence on traditional fisheries, creating alternative income sources. The Valalai Women's Rural Development Society serves as a model for community-based initiatives, empowering marginalized groups and ensuring sustainable growth. Investment in skill development programmes is crucial to equip fishermen and entrepreneurs with the tools needed to adapt to changing circumstances, ensuring their resilience in the face of challenges. Advocacy for sustainable fishing practices, environmental conservation, and adherence to safety measures remain pivotal for the long-term health of fisheries. Collective action is the cornerstone for sustained progress. As we celebrate International World Fisheries Day, let us recognize the invaluable contributions of Sri Lanka's fisheries sector to the nation's well-being. Through collaborative efforts, we can overcome challenges, uplift communities, and build a future where the riches of the sea continue to sustain generations to come.

Care work and housework sustains families and communities. It enables people to enter the workforce, contributes to economies as well as to individual and societal wellbeing. Globally, and in Sri Lanka, women spend more time on unpaid care work than men. Yet, their contributions are often undervalued, and the challenges they face are often overlooked. Unpaid care work is all unpaid services provided by individuals within a household or community for the benefit of its members. This includes cooking, cleaning, looking after children, older persons, and persons with illness or disabilities. While care work and housework can be rewarding, when one person takes on most of this work, they can experience significant stress and face a multitude of challenges, leaving little to no time for their own wellbeing. In Sri Lanka, there is a significant disparity in how unpaid care work and housework is shared between women and men. According to Sri Lanka’s Time Use Survey (2017), 87.3% of women and girls above the age of 10 participated in housework and care work compared to only 59.7% of men and boys. More recent surveys by the Women and Media Collective also indicate that activities typically associated with unpaid care work are primarily borne by women, accounting for more than 90 percent for each activity in comparison to men. While housework and care work should not be gendered, sociocultural norms deem such work as “women’s work”. This poses several challenges for women and girls. For instance, Sri Lanka is currently facing a socioeconomic crisis. This has forced families to choose which of their children to educate due to rising costs, poverty and increasing care needs. As adolescent girls shoulder a significantly greater care load at home, they are at a higher risk of dropping out of school or discontinuing their education. Unequal distribution of care work at home is also a key barrier to women’s economic empowerment. Last year, A UN Women study on ‘Gender Disparities and Labour Market Challenges’ found that Sri Lankan employers were less likely to hire women, if employers faced constraints in offering flexible working hours or in financing maternity benefits. The commonly held perception of care work being “women’s work” therefore puts women at a disadvantage in the labour market. Even when women want to engage in paid work, if there is no one to take care of children or the elderly, it is often women that leave their jobs to meet care needs at home. According to the International Labour Organization, in 2018, 606 million working aged women worldwide were unable to engage in paid work because of care responsibilities. Yet, 70 percent of women preferred to work in paid jobs. This is true to Sri Lanka as well. According to surveys conducted by Women and Media Collective, 67.5 percent of women who indicated that they like to engage in employment, were unable to do so due to care responsibilities.  Inability to engage in paid employment has serious repercussions on women later on in life because they would not have access to social protection schemes such as pensions, EPF or ETF when they are older. This in turn will have a ripple effect on their quality of life and increase their risk of falling into poverty. These are only some examples to a myriad of challenges faced by women including physical and emotional stress, limited opportunities for skill development and economic dependency which can affect women’s financial security. This year marks the halfway point for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Changing economic and social structures to recognize and reduce the disproportionate share of unpaid care work carried out by women and girls is critical to accelerating progress towards gender equality. By shifting social norms that portray care work as something women are “better at” or “naturally suited for”, and redistributing care responsibilities equally between women and men will ensure that women and girls have equal access to opportunities, and quality education. This will also enable families to achieve greater economic stability. Enacting care-friendly employment policies including flexible working arrangements and paid family leave to balance work and family commitments, and investing in public care services will pave way for decent work, reduced inequalities and increased participation of women in the labour force. Gender equality is a prerequisite for sustainable development and it’s time to take action to keep the promise of the 2030 Agenda. As 29th October marks the first International Day of Care and Support – let’s start by sharing the care and recognizing that care work is not women’s work, but everyone’s responsibility.

The last time El Niño affected Sri Lanka, between 2016 and 2017, more than 2 million people were affected—first by flooding and landslides, and then by a severe drought. 19 out of 25 districts were hit hard, decimating two harvest seasons, and creating water scarcity for agriculture, drinking and household use. El Niño currently in its development phase, is forecasted to peak towards the end of 2023 in the Asia Pacific region, and the impacts are projected to be more pronounced from January to May the following year. And if the situation continues, we must be ready to embrace a similar, if not worse, scenario that will have direct impact on communities, especially in the availability of water. Today is a particularly opportune time to bring this issue to the limelight as Sri Lanka hosts the fifth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific, with the aim of contribute to the outcome of the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly happening in 2024, on the theme ‘Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution’. As the torrential rains submerges much of Colombo and the western regions of the island, much of the dry zone is crippled by drought-like conditions.[1] A particularly worrying sign as Sri Lanka is currently grappling with a widespread incidence of multidimensional vulnerability that transcends geographical boundaries. Sri Lanka’s first Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) recently published by UNDP Sri Lanka and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), report titled ‘Understanding Multidimensional Vulnerabilities: Impact on People of Sri Lanka’ outlines that water is the second greatest contributor to vulnerability after household debt. Nearly half of Sri Lanka’s population, 48.8%, lacks disaster preparedness, a key vulnerability factor aggravated by accelerating climate risks, while 35.6% are vulnerable and deprived in relation to water sources, compounding the impacts of the poly-crisis, raising significant concerns in the context of El Niño's potential impact coupled with the effects of climate change in Sri Lanka. Observations from FAO and WFP on this drought-like condition in the country’s agricultural heartland suggests that food insecurity might further heighten towards the latter part of the year. Water is at the core of Sri Lanka’s ethos—villages and communities were designed around water sources, and much of the country’s rural areas homed a hydraulic civilization. A cascade system of tanks and diversion canals, with in-built efficient and equitable sociotechnical water management methods, enhanced the long-term development of not only the water sources, but also the surrounding natural resources on which the communities and their livelihoods depended. Yet, today, around one-third of the population is vulnerable and deprived in water sources. Communities in the dry zone chronically struggle with water scarcity, and this is a particularly potent issue in the Northern region due to regional discrepancies in water equity and accessibility.  On the Global Climate Risk Index, Sri Lanka ranks very high – specifically regarding climate change-induced risks to water. This predicts vulnerabilities in the country’s water infrastructure and security regarding quality, quantity and salinity intrusion. Adding to the issue, according to FAO, Sri Lanka’s water stress is already at  90.8%, which means that the country is consuming 90.8% of its total available renewable freshwater resources at present apart from environmental needs, and is therefore categorized as “highly water stressed”. Ensuring an uninterrupted supply of drinking water during periods of drought; reduced quality of water from public point sources which scientific speculations link to the cause of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu) prevalent in some of the areas in the Dry Zone; limitations in the country’s water production capacity and stress on its water resources, and the partial treatment and water quality deterioration are some of the crucial issues that affect Sri Lanka.  These issues have cascading impacts on not just drinking water, but also rural livelihoods, food supply, and our natural resource base with particularly dire impacts on women given their intrinsic relationship with water management. As Sri Lanka attempts to rebuild post-crisis, and gears up for early action for El Niño, it is evident that integrated water resource management is central to our future collective efforts in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It means that water is a development accelerator. Ensuring reliable water access plays a catalytic role in enhancing the economic empowerment of women and the youth, rural resilience, food security, reducing poverty, and promoting environmental sustainability and economic growth.  In moving forward, Sri Lanka requires a two-track approach. First is to invest in our infrastructure. As infrastructure development usually requires more funding and time, in parallel, integrated water resource management should be promoted, tapping into Sri Lanka’s 4,000-year-old cascade systems. Integrated water resource management offers us an opportunity to give due attention to the interlinkages among surface and ground water to the many socio-economic-environmental uses of water and is a more immediate and tangible solution to the water crisis. The Green Climate Fund financed, Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project (CRIWMP) implemented by the Government of Sri Lanka together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka, offers a blueprint to reviving Sri Lanka’s cascade system for water resilience, incorporating modern technologies and climate resilient infrastructure, climate information services and agro-met advisories to create a more sustainable dry-zone eco-system and enhance climate resilience.    The significance of water as a vulnerability contributor in several districts highlights the importance of addressing water scarcity, quality, and access issues. Interventions might include water resource management, infrastructure development, and community-based initiatives for water management.  One of the key recommendations of the MVI is building climate-resilient water systems that safeguard equitable access to water resources in the face of climate challenges. This can be achieved by initiating greater investments in rural water infrastructure, and integrated water resource management initiatives. These investments should then be underpinned by regular assessments on water productivity to enhance knowledge and implement policies that can advance equitable water allocation in the country.  Sri Lanka is abundant in the solutions and technologies required to address the water crisis—there are many documented lessons on data-and-community-based integrated water resource management. Development partners in the country in consultation with the Government, are coming together as a Water Platform, to synergize water sector development, while technology and automated solutions to increase water consumption efficiency are already available. The crisis-recovery process presents a great opportunity to build upon these solutions, leveraging multi-sectoral interventions, from the national to the local levels. The findings from the recent MVI Report and SDG tracking remind us that Sri Lanka is off-track on its journey to achieving water security and disaster resilience. The devastating consequences of climate change are already felt by our most vulnerable communities.  As El Nino peaks, the possibility of widespread and calamitous climatic changes will only intensify. This is a clear and urgent call for action to enhance water resilience in Sri Lanka. 

"The Manusath Piyasa shelter opened in February 2023. Before... there were no state operated shelters for women with disabilities, especially for survivors of violence and abuse, and there was a significant need for this. Women are referred to this shelter for three key reasons: for having a disability, not being cared for or having experienced violence or abuse in their own homes. Based on the capacity and resources we have, we welcome women with disabilities between the ages of 16 – 60, from any part of the country. Through this shelter, our goal is to provide them with a home that offers love, care and protection. We know that everyone here has different capabilities, even if each person perceives things differently. This is why my colleagues and I go the extra mile to make sure that each person has the opportunity to learn and enhance their skills. There is never a dull day here. Every day is packed with different activities that aid their skill development. We end each day with a positive attitude, being grateful for what we learnt during the day. Inner peace is what we try to cultivate – when we have peace in our minds, we can create peaceful societies. Even during the peak of the economic crisis, when we had less access to food and there were delays in receiving provisions, we took every challenge positively. We were self-sufficient, we grew our own food, and we navigated tough times together as a family.   Because of this positive environment that we try to create, the faces we saw on the first day are not the faces we see today. The women in this shelter have gone through many struggles in life, and some have been disowned by their families or shunned by society at large. But we accepted them. We showed them love and respect to the point that they now call us ‘Amma’ [Mother]. The commodities and support provided by UN Women is a strength for us. When we don’t have to worry about securing basic necessities, we can use that time and energy to help uplift the women we serve.” UN Women’s project ‘Empowering Women in Crisis’ (February 2023 – January 2024) funded by the Government of Japan provides emergency relief and support to women most affected by the socio-economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Dulmini Bandara manages one of the 11 women’s shelters being supported by the project.