UNFPA Sri Lanka says 2024 was year of progress, partnership and impact

Monday, 30 June 2025 03:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

UNFPA Sri Lanka Representative Kunle Adeniyi

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sri Lanka has launched its 2024 Annual Report, spotlighting a year marked by resilience, innovation, and strengthened partnerships to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and population data systems across the country.

In 2024, the UNFPA’s strategic interventions reached 3.8 million individuals with family planning services and SRHR information, trained over 1,000 midwives, and strengthened the capacity of more than 1,000 health workers across the country. Two solar-powered maternity centres were established in Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam to ensure uninterrupted maternal and neonatal care, directly benefitting 24,000 mothers and infants.

The UNFPA also supported the historic enactment of the Women Empowerment Act, No. 37 of 2024 and contributed to the development and rollout of Sri Lanka’s second National Action Plan on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) (2024-2028). Throughout the year, the UNFPA expanded survivor-centred GBV services, establishing 14 Model Women and Children Bureaus (formerly known as Emergency Waiting Areas) in Police stations and supporting 13 shelter renovations across 10 districts, including Sri Lanka’s first facility for women with disabilities in Nuwara Eliya.

The UNFPA’s continued investment in population data systems included support for the 2024 Census of Population and Housing, engaging over 54,000 officers in the field. Collaborations with the Department of Census and Statistics and the University of Colombo enhanced data governance and regional research capacity through the newly launched South Asian Centre of Excellence for Population Dynamics, Gender, and Social Policy.

In total, $ 9 million was invested in 2024 to drive sustainable, inclusive development, with generous support from key partners, including the Governments of Japan, Canada, and Australia, the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund.

UNFPA Sri Lanka Representative Kunle Adeniyi said: “Our five decades of progress is rooted in the strong partnerships that the UNFPA has forged with the Government of Sri Lanka, civil society, development partners, and women and girls in communities across the country. As we look ahead to 2025, the UNFPA remains steadfast in supporting Sri Lanka’s national development agenda, prioritising our efforts in digitalisation, social protection, and health system strengthening.”

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.