Sri Lanka reaffirms commitment to gender equality at Beijing summit

Wednesday, 15 October 2025 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya yesterday reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of women and girls, underscoring the need to turn equality principles into concrete action.

Speaking at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women 2025 in Beijing, she said that despite global progress since the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action—including female literacy gains, a near-halving of maternal mortality, and a rise in global life expectancy from 69 years in 1995 to 76 years in 2023—major gaps persist.

She noted that women’s labour-force participation remains at 48.7% compared with 73% for men, women represent only about 35% of science and technology graduates, and 47.8 million more women than men face food insecurity.

The Prime Minister outlined Sri Lanka’s policy priorities, including expanding women’s participation in leadership and decision-making, and implementing the National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2023–2027). She said Sri Lanka aims to ensure that women from all social and economic backgrounds are represented across sectors.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya was welcomed to the event by Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan before delivering her remarks at the opening ceremony.