Who we are

Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) in Sri Lanka is a unique parliamentary mechanism that unites women parliamentarians from diverse political parties, geographical locations, ethnic and religious groups together under one objective – empowerment of women and elimination of all forms of violence and harassment against women and girls- and functions as the highest decision making body on gender while advocating for legal and policy matters for achieving gender equality in Sri Lanka.

The strategies of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus include increasing the participation of women in politics, safeguarding women’s rights and gender equality, preventing all sorts of violations and harassments against women, looking into the welfare of the women workers including the migrant workers, poverty alleviation among underprivileged women & widows and providing them with vocational training and facilities.

Improving education among women, looking into the health related problems of the women, providing legal aids and counseling, enacting legislation for the betterment of the women and contributing to the development of the country in general are also strategies of the Women Caucus.

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus conducts its activities through advocacy in Parliament, coordinated activities with the women Provincial Councilors and Members of the Local Government Bodies, awareness programmes, workshops, trainings and conferences and outreach activities at district levels.

The Caucus has been working throughout the past 14 years very successfully without any political differences, it was able to make a significant impact in the country. The Caucus had also created a network of partnership with the women Provincial Councilors and Members of the Local Government Bodies, Government Ministries, Departments and Institutions, United Nations Agencies, Local & International Civil Society Organizations and individual professionals.

All 12 Women Parliamentarians’ are members of the Caucus. The Hon (Dr.) (Mrs.) Sudarshini Fernandopulle, State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control, is the Chairperson of the Caucus while the Hon. (Dr.) (Mrs.) Seetha Arambepola State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation and Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathne MP, act as Vice Chairpersons.

Members of the Caucus - Ninth Parliament

Hon. (Dr.) (Mrs.) Sudarshini Fernandopulle (Chair)

Hon. (Dr.) Seetha Arambepola (Vice Chairperson)

Jambugahan-Pitiyegedara-Rohini-Kumari-Wijerathna-Kavirathna

Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna (Vice Chairperson)

Hon. (Mrs.) Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi

Hon. (Mrs.) Thalatha Athukorala

Hon. (Mrs.) Geetha Samanmale Kumarasinghe

Hon. (Mrs.) Kokila Gunawardene

Hon. (Mrs.) Muditha Prishanthi

Hon. (Mrs.) Manjula Dissanayake

Hon. (Mrs.) Rajika Wickramasinghe

Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Harini Amarasuriya

Hon. (Mrs.) Diana Gamage

Vision

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Create a society that accept, respect and provide equal status and opportunities for women in social, economic and political spheres in
Sri Lanka

Mission

OUR MISSION FOR SUCCESS

Acting together across party political, ethnic and religious affiliations and differences, ensure equality for all, especially women, by advocating, enacting and monitoring gender responsive laws and budgets in Sri Lanka.

Goals

To enhance the capacity of the Caucus and its individual members to be more effective in advocating for values accepted by the Caucus
To contribute towards the ongoing and proposed governance, economic, and political reforms as for WPC’s vision and mission, advocate to amend/repeal laws that discriminate against women and monitor the implementation of all relevant laws

To increase women’s active participation and political representation at local, provincial and parliamentary level
To take into consideration the provisions of the National Human Rights Action Plan and all relevant UN Conventions protecting women’s rights ratified by the Government of Sri Lanka with special emphasis to women affected by disaster and recovering from war.

Our Objectives

Increase the participation of women in politics
Safeguard women’s rights and gender equality
Prevent all forms of violence and harassment against women
Improve the welfare of women workers, including migrant workers
Alleviate poverty among under-privileged women and widows and provide them with vocational training and resources
Improve education opportunities for women
Address health related problems of women
Ensure provision of legal aid and counseling for women
Enact legislation to improve the overall well-being of women
Contribute towards the development of the country in general

Our Activities

Implement advocacy activities through Parliament
Organise coordinated activities with the women provincial councilors and members of the local government bodies
Carry out coordinated activities with government ministries, departments and institutions
Conduct awareness programmes, workshops, trainings and conferences
Organise outreach activities at district levels
Implement coordinated activities with UN Agencies
Build partnerships with local women’s organizations and professionals
Improve cooperation with other women parliamentary organizations and international women’s organizations

Our Key Achievements

Persistent advocacy for greater representation of women at local government level resulted in the amendment to the Local Authorities Act in 2017, which guarantees 25% quota for women
In April 2008, the Cross Party Coalition of Women Politicians (CPCWP) was formed to ensure that all major political parties gave women a seat at the peace negotiation table
Launched the ‘Colombo Conversations’ initiative that serves as a platform for members of Civil Society Organisations and the WPC to discuss pressing policy concerns, share expertise on women’s rights and develop strategies for reform
Training and capacity development opportunities were given to WPC members and other activists on conflict resolution, principles of constitutionalism, UN Resolution 1325 and legislative drafting
Selected members of the Caucus attended a five-day intensive training program at the Harvard Law School
In commemoration of the International Women’s Day, events were organized in collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, the United Nations Population Fund, UN Women, and Search for Common Ground (SFCG), annually, since 2014

Conducted regional consultations in all nine provinces with women political leaders contesting local government elections to discuss the 25% quota for women and also to take stock of the challenges they face
In Collaboration with the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Governments, convened a national symposium to discuss the findings of the nine regional consultations
Provide a platform for local level women political leaders to meet with members of the WPC and male champions to ask questions and clarify doubts about the amended local government act of 2017, and also to help raise their understanding of the role women play in national level government and political process
In partnership with SFCG, implemented an advocacy campaign against sexual harassment faced by women on public transportation system
Made written and verbal submission to the Steering Committee on the new constitution to ensure the inclusion of gender and women’s right