29 November 2023, Kandy: To facilitate a dynamic space for experience sharing and public engagement to foster dialogue and idea generation on Gender Transformation, Women’s Empowerment and addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), a mobile interactive space named, ‘A Journey of Transformation and Women’s Empowerment’ led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka was launched today in Kandy.

The mobile interactive space celebrates the resilience of Sri Lankan communities supported through UNDP Sri Lanka’s efforts across the years to address barriers to gender equality and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and is in line with the ongoing joint project ‘Enabling Access to Justice for Victim Survivors of SGBV’ together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with funding from the Government of Canada. This project aims at empowering victim-survivors of SGBV to access justice, demand and receive better support services and realize their right to live in a society free of SGBV.

Through interactive audio-visual material and thought-provoking discussions facilitated by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the mobile space which commenced in Kandy will also be available in Nuwara Eliya, Kurunegala, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Galle and Colombo in the upcoming months.

The stories of gender transformation range from women’s contribution to Sri Lanka’s food security, to community leadership and entrepreneurial achievements, and how these efforts supported by UNDP Sri Lanka over the years has been instrumental to the achievement of the Gold status of the Gender Equality Seal by UNDP Sri Lanka. The Gender Equality Seal is a corporate standard for gender equality that organizations can qualify for and be benchmarked against to receive certification in accordance with best practices on gender equality inside an organization.

Commenting on UNDP’s work that has contributed to women’s empowerment over the years, Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka noted, “The poly-crisis has exacerbated the risk of SGBV, disproportionately affecting women and gender minorities, making women’s economic empowerment as one of the key priority areas for UNDP over the years through livelihood support, women’s entrepreneurship development, innovating financing for SDG 5, climate smart agriculture and promoting women’s engagement to address food insecurity, and promoting access to justice, that led to the achievement of the UNDP Gender Equality Gold Seal.