WFSL’s second event gets underway on 7 July, ‘Action for Parity II’

Women’s Forum Sri Lanka, (WFSL) a group of professional women of diverse disciplines united in the cause of women’s empowerment, will hold ‘Action for Parity II’ on 7 July morning, under the auspices of Guest of Honour Deputy Minister, State Enterprise Development Eran Wickramaratne, and Special Guest Paul Godfrey, Counsellor, Head of Political, Trade and Communications of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. 

Launched on International Women’s Day on 8 March, WFSL comprises of a large number of representatives of women’s organisations and open to like- minded men and women to register and contribute to the WFSL tasks. WFSL’s “under one roof on one platform” concept, a meeting of minds from a cross section of society, will get into first gear in August. In the meantime WFSL has made major progress in many other fronts on their outlined objectives since its launch, ‘Action for Parity I’, held in March. 

As assured at the last event, WFSL holds the second event for the year within four months to review its progress, to strengthen its key group and to make aware to the public of the WFSL tasks with a view to a larger local joint participation and aiming at wider international cooperation in achieving objectives set out by WFSL for the political and economic empowerment of women.   

WFSL successfully struck a partnership with Lanka Mahila Samithi, the largest and longest serving women’s organisation in the country prior to launch.  Upon the invitation to partner the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus at the launch, the WFSL presented its Action Plans to be jointly presented to be absorbed to any national Action Plan should it be found to be acceptable for such. 

The Action Plans penned by the respective WFSL experts, specialists in their fields with their consensus were handed over by WFSL convener Charnika Imbulana to State Minister, City Planning and Water Supply Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle who is also the Vice Chairman of the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus. Dr. Fernandopulle has since been taking action on each of the Action Plans, at a time.

One of the many achievements within a short frame of just four months is that Dr. Fernandopulle, now a WFSL Advocate, upon study, found the first of such WFSL Action plans on Personal Protection submitted by Dr. Hiranthi Wijemana contains vital recommendations that can be absorbed into and enhance the Government’s National Action Plan of violence against women thus she has directed it be presented to the Parliament’s Gender and Equality Committee, which is considered as one of the vital pillars on which power is vested for implementation of such.

Thus the first of the WFSL Action Plans after many deliberations and study makes its way, to where WFSL had planned to carry the expertise to. In keeping with the first event slogan ‘where the rhetoric stops and the action will begin’, WFSL has thus begun its journey and is very much on its way with their second event now afoot. WFSL’s focus next is on the WFSL Action Plan on Migrant Women by Dr. Ramani Jayasundera and on the projects envisaged on the 25% quota allocated for women’s political participation, which is to be revealed at the event tomorrow.   

A line-up that includes top officials of the Foreign Agencies are scheduled to speak, including Policy Analyst of UN, Sonali Dayaratne, EU’s representative in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Political Trade and Communication Head Paul Godfrey. Dr. Hiranthi Wijemane, and a top official of the Japanese Embassy.

The Women’s Forum Sri Lanka key group comprises Prof. Savitri Goonesekera, Dr. Hiranthi Wijemana, Prof. Ramani Jayathilake, Dr. Swarna Jayaweera, Dr. Ramani Jayasundera, Dr. Selvy Thiruchelvem, Dr. Premila Senanayaka, Jessima Ismail, Yvette Kahavita, Thileka Perera, Charnika Imbulana and UmalkaPerera and many key persons established as WFSL focal points in the provinces and overseas.