Through this funding, WFP will provide families with food baskets comprising rice, pulses and cooking oil, to meet half their monthly food needs for a period of two months. The donation will also be used to procure maize and soybean for the production of Thriposha, a fortified food product, for a period of four months, which will be supplied to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and young children at risk of malnutrition.   H.E. Mizukoshi Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka said, “We are pleased to announce that the Government of Japan has decided to provide additional humanitarian support to Sri Lanka in this critical moment. Food aid through WFP by the Government of Japan has reached a total of USD10 million since the economic crisis began last year. This support is being used to provide essential food and nutrition to communities across the nation.” WFP’s latest surveys indicate that food insecurity is still at a concerningly high level. Seven in every 10 households are adopting negative coping strategies such as cutting back on nutritious food like protein and dairy or skipping meals altogether. “Our biggest concern is for the women and children who are among those affected by the impacts of the economic crisis,“ said Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, Representative and Country Director of WFP Sri Lanka. “We are grateful for the continuous support from the Government of Japan which enables us to scale up our efforts so that vulnerable communities receive the food and nutrition they need.” Japan has been a long-standing donor to the Government of Sri Lanka and WFP for over a decade, providing critical assistance in emergencies, while supporting longer-term recovery and development efforts to strengthen food and nutrition security in the country. Japan’s latest funding is an extension of its support to the people of Sri Lanka to help safeguard communities affected by the economic crisis. WFP has reached over two million people since commencing its emergency operation in June last year and is moving closer to its target of reaching 3.4 million people with food and nutrition assistance.

Colombo — Sri Lanka has adopted its first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), for the period 2023 – 2027 with the support of the Government of Japan and UN Women. The Plan adds to the country’s legal and policy frameworks to protect and empower women in line with international commitments set out in the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1325 (2000). It also aims to strengthen coordination between stakeholders of the women, peace and security agenda, which is vital to sustainable peace and development in Sri Lanka.  The plan was approved by Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Ministers on 27 February 2023 and ceremoniously launched on 8th March 2023, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.  The newly adopted National Action Plan was developed through a consultative process with input from provincial and district level public sector officials, civil society, community-based organizations, women leaders and others with direct and diverse experiences of conflict and crises. It was developed with technical support from UN Women as part of a joint partnership between the Government of Japan and the Government of Sri Lanka.  In 2018, the Government of Japan signed a partnership agreement with Sri Lanka under the G7 WPS framework. Speaking on this, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that while the “status of women in the Asian region is not satisfactory, Sri Lankan women are ahead compared to other countries in the region, and efforts will be made to further expand their rights”. He emphasized that the 'National Policy on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment' and the 'National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security' will aid in achieving this goal, and the progress made so far was revealed on International Women's Day. “Sri Lanka will host a meeting of leading women activists from SAARC countries this year to advocate for the inclusion of women's rights within the organization's framework. Sri Lanka is committed to working towards achieving gender equality and women's empowerment in all areas and will take a leadership role in championing the rights of women in the Asian region”. Highlighting the importance of the National Action Plan, Hon. Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe, State Minister of Women and Child Affairs said: “With the adoption of this action plan, Sri Lanka is equipped for the first time with a policy framework to implement the women, peace and security agenda, which calls for greater participation and representation of women in governance and peacebuilding processes.”   The National Action Plan further aims to provide targeted support for women who have been and continue to be, directly harmed by conflict, violence and climate insecurity. In addition, it aims to strengthen the security of marginalized women and girls, and the economic empowerment of women through access to equal opportunities and resources.   Commenting on Sri Lanka’s progress, H.E. MIZUKOSHI Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, stated: “The Government of Japan welcomes the timely adoption of this National Action Plan, which will help Sri Lanka’s commitments to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through our longstanding partnership with UN Women and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, Japan is committed to supporting the furtherance of the women, peace and security agenda in Sri Lanka.”   Prashani Dias, Head of Office a.i. at UN Women Sri Lanka, said: “To help the implementation of this important policy framework, UN Women, with support from the Government of Japan, has provided training on women, peace and security to public-sector officials. Through these programmes, work plans have been jointly developed at the district level to address issues that affect the well-being of women and girls during times of crisis.”  Apart from these efforts, UN Women has strengthened women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship trainings, recognizing that women’s access to employment plays a key role in ensuring their security, and provided women leaders including youth, with skills to promote social cohesion in their communities.  The adoption of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security marks significant progress in furthering gender-responsive conflict and crisis response, while also strengthening the role of women in peacebuilding and conflict-preventative leadership.

This year, the United Nations observes International Women’s Day by celebrating the women and girls leading innovation on transformative technology and digital education. Under the theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, the United Nations aims to generate a discussion on how to make digital spaces and tools more accessible for women and girls. As one of the transformative forces currently shaping society, digitalization has the potential to generate extraordinary advances for the socio-economic development of women and girls. However, it also poses the risk of perpetuating existing gender disparities. Despite recent improvements, global studies suggest that there is a persisting gender gap in the technology and innovation sectors across many countries, as women and girls are continuously underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) – holding only 2 in every 10 jobs within several of these industries. In Sri Lanka, women have been predominantly engaged in informal employment and, are as a cohort, overrepresented in elementary and clerical occupations compared to men. The COVID-19 pandemic served as one example of how accelerated digitalization of jobs and increasingly common home-based working arrangements disproportionately affect women. Prior to the pandemic, the International Labor Organization (ILO) highlighted poor technological knowledge as a barrier to women’s ability to work from home, thus revealing the consequences that may arise when women and girls are left behind in an era of rapid digitalization. Women that do have access to digital spaces are able to work remotely and flexibly, and are therefore better positioned to circumvent mobility and cultural barriers, enter the workforce and generate an income. However, digital spaces can also expose women and girls to online harassment and abuse. In fact, violence facilitated by digital technologies tends to disproportionately target women, who suffer serious consequences as a result.   The Sri Lankan women blazing trails in technology, innovation and engineering Amira Ghaffoor, CEO of Northwood Consulting, and recipient of the award ‘Emerging Women Tech Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 2021, highlights the specific challenges that women face in the technology sector in Sri Lanka. ‘Being a woman in this industry poses its own share of roadblocks. Although the corporate culture of Sri Lanka is not overtly biased, covert biases can lead to a challenging work environment. These biases often show up in the form of less confidence in women-led startups’, explains Ms. Ghaffoor. Being a woman in this industry poses its own share of roadblocks. Although the corporate culture of Sri Lanka is not overtly biased, covert biases can lead to a challenging working environment. These biases often show up in the form of less confidence in women-led startups - Amira Ghaffoor, CEO of Northwood Consulting According to Zahra Marzook, Electrical Engineer the Ceylon Electricity Board, women engineers tend to face similar challenges in the workplace. ‘I have a clear memory of another engineer at the power plant telling me that "there is no work for women here”. Upon my return to work after maternity leave, I faced hesitancy from managers to assign me work I had previously done. There was a widespread belief that fieldwork was unsuitable for women or that we were not capable of it, resulting in the allocation of more office work to female employees. Initially, there was a clear bias towards male employees when it came to allocating instruments or assigning staff. Male employees were often given priority over female employees’, describes Ms. Marzook. In January 2020, Ms. Marzook was awarded the IET Young Woman Engineer Award, an achievement she describes as a ‘defining moment’ in her career as an engineer. ‘It not only validated my hard work and accomplishments but also inspired me to be an advocate for gender equality and diversity in the field. The recognition served as a powerful message to other women in the industry that they too can achieve great things with their skills and knowledge’, says Ms. Marzook.    ‘As a result of winning the award, I found myself in a unique position to share my experiences and knowledge with other women in the industry, and I took this responsibility seriously. I made a conscious effort to speak up more, participate in events and activities related to promoting STEM subjects, and mentor young women aspiring to pursue careers in engineering. In addition to the personal impact it had on me, the award had a ripple effect in my community. I received numerous messages from women who felt inspired by my achievement and felt empowered to pursue their passions in engineering or other fields. It was a clear message that with dedication and hard work, anyone can achieve their goals, regardless of gender or any other factors’, Ms. Marzook continues.   Addressing the gender gap in STEM in Sri Lanka Closing the gender gap in STEM requires targeted and continued efforts to combat harmful gender norms and stereotypes in institutions, operational frameworks of STEM fields, and society at large. Together with the EU in Sri Lanka, UN Women is working to create spaces for discussion on the existing challenges and opportunities to prepare students of all genders with the necessary soft skills to enter STEM fields, and works to challenge existing biases on the part of employers so that women in STEM have equal opportunities. The United Nations in Sri Lanka has also contributed towards women and girls’ technological education through investment in skills development and lifelong learning. For instance, UNDP’s Memorandum of Understanding with Sri Lanka’s Vocational Training Authority has paved the way for the United Nations to provide learners and educators with digital skills and other opportunities to develop future-fit competences at an early age. In 2014, UNDP also spearheaded Citra Social Innovation Lab, aimed at investing in innovative, agile and holistic solutions to development issues. As the Gender and Experimentation Lead at Citra, Deshani Senanayake ensures that gender equity is incorporated into all of the initiatives undertaken by the Lab and develops prototypes that are gender sensitive and inclusive. ‘Citra works towards building technical skills and capacities of young girls and women through various initiatives, as well as increase their exposure to the non-traditional sectors of tech and innovation. We focus primarily on young girls through the comprehensive HackaDev programme, which has its own Academy imparting ICT skills, along with other interventions which aim to equip young girls with capacities required to work in the spaces of innovation and entrepreneurship. The programme, through its various components, also works to connect young girls with mentors from within innovation and tech industries to expose them to opportunities and share experiences and valuable learnings’, explains Deshani Senanayake.   Recognizing the vital role of a strong and future-fit public sector in Sri Lanka, Citra also works with women government officers to build tech and innovation capacities through an initiative titled the NextGenGov Fellowship programme. ‘This experiential learning programme builds the capacities of government officers in the areas of innovation, human-centred design, design thinking, digital transformation, amongst others. Further, throughout the programme, we also bring together senior government officials, with a special focus on senior female officers, to share their experiences and encourage young female officers to experiment and innovate within their own offices and roles’, says Ms. Senanayake.   Advancing technological knowledge among women in agriculture The agricultural sector is another area in which advancement of technological knowledge among women has had a transformative impact. 47-year-old Nishanthi Sri Nassanka is one of 21,000 farmers trained in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for better production and a better environment, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Based in the small town of Adhikarigama in the Kandy district, Ms. Sri Nissanka has been farming for close to 19 years, using traditional farming practices for vegetables such as green chili, bitter gourd, and long beans, and relying on only one season a year for a sufficient yield. As a participant in the training, Ms. Sri Nassanka was able to invest in a complete agriculture training package and utilized sustainable agriculture practices to reduce her operational costs, cultivate three to four times a year instead of just once, and increase her annual yield. ‘There are many ways that FAO has helped’, she relates. The training delivered technical knowledge including contemporary farming methods, such as the correct use of polythene and fertilizer by way of an efficient delivery system. ‘Because of this, I have a bigger yield, and less of the crop gets destroyed by pests and diseases.’ This practice is also more environmentally friendly, as it mitigates the erosion of soil.   Ms. Sri Nassanka quickly adapted to the efficient use of water and irrigation techniques that were implemented by FAO, which were major obstacles in her previous farming methods. She notes that the land is now easier to manage, and that she is able to produce more, and directly sell to vendors over the course of the year, ensuring a profitable return. ‘I am satisfied that I can produce my own food during these shortages. Thanks to these practices I am not as dependent on fertilizer as I used to be, which was a relief during this time. My family is also happy to help me on the field when I need the extra help,’ she says, beaming with pride over being able to pass on these sustainable practices to the next generation.   ‘I am very happy that my children can see us being independent’, she says. As both the production and distribution processes have become increasingly streamlined through digitalization, Ms. Sri Nassanka notes that there are many indirect benefits, such as being introduced to online banking services and communication applications such as WhatsApp, which have enhanced her business. Going forward, Ms. Sri Nassanka hopes to expand her farming activities in other areas. “Being self-sufficient is the only way we can come out of this crisis together,’ she asserts.   I am very happy that my children can see us being independent. Being self-sufficient is the only way we can come out of this crisis together - Nishanthi Sri Nassanka, one of 21,000 farmers trained in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)   Unlocking untapped potential by empowering women in technology As UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 Report indicates, low- and middle-income countries have omitted USD 1 trillion in the last decade alone by women’s limited access to digital tools and spaces. As such, bringing women and other marginalized groups into technology and innovation allows for untapped potential across a wide variety of sectors to be unlocked. This also poses great potential for innovation that meets the specific needs of these groups and that effectively promotes gender equality. In light of International Women’s Day, the United Nations is bringing together Member States, UN entities and ECOSOC-accredited NGOs from all regions of the world for the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) to discuss innovation and technological change as a means to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. CSW67 provides an opportunity to collectively address challenges and opportunities that arise as part of rapid digitalization and transformative technology shaping socio-economic development and prospects of achieving the 2023 Agenda. Looking to the future, Deshani Senanayake identifies key areas of improvement for achieving gender equity in these sectors in Sri Lanka. ‘I believe Sri Lanka is making progress in working towards gender equity within the sectors of innovation and tech, especially within the private sector and the ICT industry. There is priority and focus provided within these sectors to build capacities and increase opportunities for young women. However, there is still a gap within the larger context of Sri Lanka due to the prevailing issues of limited accessibility, both to skill enhancement and opportunities to enter the innovation and tech spaces, as well as limited exposure to the work already taking place in the country within these areas. Additionally, the cultural and social norms at play work to hinder young girls and women from entering these spaces, and instead keep them in more traditionally female-dominated sectors’, says Deshani Senanayake. There is still a gender gap in Sri Lanka due to limited accessibility to skill enhancement and opportunities to enter the innovation and tech spaces, as well as limited exposure to the work already taking place in the country within these sectors - Deshani Senanayake, Gender and Experimentation Lead at Citra Social Innovation Lab   For young tech entrepreneurs starting out in their professional career, Amira Ghaffoor encourages them to remain confident, disciplined and focused on their goals. ‘Not every start is going to work, but every startup is worth a try. If you have confidence that the product or service you are offering can scale, go ahead and do it’, says Ms. Ghaffoor.   ‘Create a disciplined life for yourself and remember that discipline is the foremost thing that will take you anywhere. Build a team that is as passionate as you and look for the right attitude when hiring others. Stay focused, and don’t be swayed by what you see on social media. Be open-minded and open to criticism. Don’t try to perfect everything you are doing. Instead, try to sell it and improve on it as you go’, Ms. Ghaffoor advises.   As a female engineer, you bring unique perspectives and insights to the field. It is important to recognize your worth and value you bring and use your skills to contribute to society and the world - Zahra Marzook, Electrical Engineer the Ceylon Electricity Board and recipient of the 2020 IET Young Woman Engineer Award Zahra Marzook offers similar advice to young women engineers, whom she encourages to ‘keep learning’, ‘build good relationships’, ‘give back to society, and ‘know your worth’. ‘As a female engineer, you bring unique perspectives and insights to the field. It is important to recognize your worth and value you bring and use your skills to contribute to society and the world’, says Ms. Marzook.

Athuraheem Habeeba, 47, living in Maliyakadu in the Ampara District in Sri Lanka, has been trying her hand at different micro-businesses since her husband passed. Her determination to be self-reliant and support her mother and siblings led to her selling fabrics sourced from Colombo. She sews for custom orders, supplies mobile reload cards, and hand-carves ornamental designs on wooden furniture. Despite her many ventures, she aspires to run her own textile and clothing store as a tribute to her late husband, who encouraged her passion for dressmaking. “My husband wanted us to own a textile store in the Ampara town, fully stocked with fabrics, buttons, tassels, and all the trimmings anyone would need,” she muses. Habeeba was one of the many recipients of a series of 10-day entrepreneurship trainings conducted in 2021 by UN Women and local social enterprise Chrysalis in the districts of Ampara, Monaragala, Vavuniya, and Colombo. Organized to enhance the economic opportunities for women, these programmes delivered training on business development and entrepreneurship with a focus on product ideation, marketing, and financial literacy, and subsequently offered financial assistance and in-kind grants to participants who presented feasible business plans to expand or start their enterprises.   This training has brought Habeeba one step closer to fulfilling her aspirations. Habeeba says that besides training her on how to run a business, the training programme, which began in February 2021, offered her knowledge on keeping accounts, which is pivotal for operating a profitable business, and taught her how to repair sewing machines. In addition, Habeeba and many like her were provided with sewing lessons and insight on where to source fabrics from wholesalers. Upon completing her training, Habeeba received an overlock sewing machine with which she now sews t-shirts, abayas, and dresses to supply to clothing stores in her town. Although she now has an assistant, she looks forward to expanding her business and eventually owning her store. Aysha Azarudeen, 42, also a widow and a mother of two, lives in Slave Island, a suburb in Colombo-2. Since receiving a brand-new industrial sewing machine after completing the same training programme, she says she has increased her output by almost four times.   She joined the training programme in November 2021 through the local Vanitha Women’s Association, and is convinced that micro-entrepreneurs will have higher chances of success if they are exposed to training on financial literacy and business management. As someone who barely left the home while her husband was alive, Aysha says that the training programme provided her with in-depth knowledge on how to run a business and price her apparel accurately based on the accessories she attaches to them. She also learned to include the cost of machinery wear and tear in the prices of the clothes she produces, which she then sets aside for future asset purchases.   After completing the training programme, Aysha, who had only been sewing clothes to order, registered her own company and began making ready-made clothes to supply to dress shops around her neighbourhood. She is also thankful that she can run her business from home while taking care of her children and her mother, who is unwell.   In Monaragala, W.G Shiromi, 42, with an ever-present measuring tape around her neck and three children always ready to help with threading needles, says she looks forward to expanding her sewing business with four tailors. With five years of experience working at a garment factory, Shiromi already knew her way around sewing machines. What she gained from the entrepreneurship training that began in 2022 was business acumen. She learned how to manage her business accounts, make business plans, how to attract and retain clients, pricing strategies, and also ways to differentiate her business offering from competitors.   With her new-found knowledge, and support from her husband who is a sample manager at a garment factory, Shiromi is determined to accept more orders from Colombo in the next year to bolster the financial stability of her family. The new sewing machine she received at the end of the training has also improved the turnaround times of the orders and lessened the labour intensity of her work.     In Puliyankulam, a town in Vavuniya District, Mugunthan Jeyavinoja, 31, received a water pump and supplementary pipes after she completed her training. She uses it to water the crops in the greenhouse she set up. The new equipment reduces her energy cost and enables her to maintain the garden during dry months. Jeyavinoja says that some of the important aspects she learned from the training sessions were advertising and how to take products to the market. Following her lessons, she has even listed some of her crops online. Among other things, she learned how to maintain accounts to ascertain profits and losses and manage a bank account.     Determined to be self-reliant and lift her family from the clutches of poverty, Jeyavinoja also operates a grocery shop, and has started a micro business in producing, packeting and selling spices such as chili powder. None of these is without challenges, and although currently there is much debt to be repaid, Jeyavinoja is resolute about turning things around and even starting a snack production venture. Despite the resolve of these women micro-entrepreneurs, the struggle continues. The current economic crisis in Sri Lanka, which has caused a surge in the prices of raw material and energy, and a shrinkage in the purses of regular customers, mean that they have to double and triple their efforts to operate profitably. Even so, their stories are inspirational to anyone attempting to start a new business.