Outcome LKA_D_2.1

By 2027, women and girls enjoy and are empowered to exercise their full rights, representation, and agency over all aspects of their lives, and live free from discrimination and violence.

There is improved collaboration and coordination among Government actors on implementing and monitoring the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP WPS), as a result of UN Women’s technical and coordination support to the Government. Additionally, more women benefit from, and are engaged in community-led accountability mechanisms, to address root causes of conflict. By providing technical support to UN agencies and Government, while simultaneously building the capacity of local communities and sub-national institutions, the Office significantly contributed to safeguarding the rights of women and girls and enhancing their agency. Pre- and post-workshop evaluations revealed that 62% of respondents reported a strong or good understanding of the NAP WPS. UN Women supported the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (MoWCA) by developing a comprehensive monitoring and reporting framework. Based on progress updates from relevant Government stakeholders, 11% of NAP WPS activities are currently ongoing or completed. Beyond government support, UN Women’s programmatic priorities targeted one of the NAP’s core priorities: women’s economic empowerment. Approximately 620 women across four districts gained entrepreneurial and financial planning skills, enhancing their self-reliance and ability to generate income effectively. These trainings have not only increased women’s confidence and leadership capacities but also enabled their meaningful participation in decision-making processes. By fostering networks and alliances, these programs amplified women’s capabilities while also ensuring the continuity and advancement of their businesses. 297 participants developed a deeper understanding of peacebuilding and formed stronger connections with others through UN Women's facilitation of eight inter-community and multi-stakeholder dialogues (IMDs) across four districts to promote women’s engagement in peacebuilding. Of them, 94% of participants reported an increased understanding of women’s engagement in peacebuilding in addition to having made increased connections and networks, through the IMDs. These dialogues addressed issues like interfaith tensions, environmental challenges, and institutional gaps, and informed capacity-building workshops to enhance advocacy and negotiation skills in line with the NAP WPS. Consequently, community-led work plans were developed, and female leaders alongside local institutions, including Divisional Secretariats, have become better equipped to take tangible actions toward sustainable peace. These efforts underscore UN Women’s commitment to advancing the Women, Peace, and Security agenda and promoting gender equality through strengthened institutional capacity and grassroots mobilization. In the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field, the MakHer program benefitted 123 young women, equipping them with in-demand technical skills and networks to bridge the gap between academic achievement and professional success. While national and global statistics highlight increasing female enrollment in STEM education, the transition into STEM careers remains disproportionately low for women, reflected in low female labour force participation in these sectors. UN Women is addressing this gap through the MakHer program, which fosters young women’s active participation in high-growth industries. The UN system in Sri Lanka demonstrated strengthened collaboration and advocacy for gender equality, driven by UN Women’s leadership as Chair of the UN Gender Task Force (GTF). Accordingly, UN Women facilitated key initiatives, including quarterly closed-door discussions and capacity-building workshops, enhancing the UN system’s responsiveness to advancing women’s rights. Gender mainstreaming workshops strengthened the capacity of UN agencies to integrate gender considerations into programs, resulting in more gender-responsive initiatives. Oversight and technical support for the UNCT-SWAP Gender Scorecard further improved planning, coordination, and resource allocation, ensuring cohesive approaches to addressing women’s rights in Sri Lanka. Finally, results from previous programming in the nexus of women’s economic empowerment and prevention of violence against women (for example, in Mannar) led to the successful mobilizing of resources for longer-term programming on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This is critical investment towards ensuring women’s agency in all aspects of their lives.

By 2027, women and girls enjoy and are empowered to exercise their full rights, representation, and agency over all aspects of their lives, and live free from discrimination and violence.

UN Women's programming results for 2023 represent a shift towards institutionalizing gender-sensitive policies and practices, fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and ensuring sustained commitment to gender equality in Sri Lanka. The adoption and initiation of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP WPS) in Sri Lanka in February 2023 signifies a transformative shift in gender-related policies and practices. Following the significant advocacy, technical advisory and support from UN Women over a period of 4 years, the NAP WPS is now not only adopted but has begun efforts towards implementation, with a structured governance framework in place. UN Women’s contribution towards preventing violence against women through women's economic empowerment has brought about transformative outcomes for women entrepreneurs in Mannar District. The project evaluation findings of increased production, sales, earnings, and profitability demonstrate tangible economic improvements for the beneficiaries. The ability of 60% of respondents to make a 100% contribution to household expenses and save a significant portion of their earnings illustrates this. Their economic empowerment is also reflected in the qualitative change reported by beneficiaries, who express better control over their finances and increased confidence. The perception of safety from violence, both within and outside the home, among 60% to 70% of survey respondents is a critical outcome, showcasing the project's broader impact on creating safer environments for women. Moreover, the unanimous view that women who participated in the programme are more respected by their family members and the community is indicative of a positive societal shift. The high level of agreement (over 90%) among survey respondents regarding the project's positive impact on their knowledge, awareness, and day-to-day business activities underscores a comprehensive improvement in business acumen and skills.

Women and girls enjoy and are empowered to exercise their full rights, representation, and agency over all aspects of their lives, and live free from discrimination and violence.

UN Women’s programming in Sri Lanka has delivered measurable progress across multiple thematic areas, including women’s economic empowerment (WEE), STEM career advancement, gender norm transformation, peacebuilding, and institutional strengthening under the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda. These interventions have collectively contributed to advancing gender equality, enhancing women’s agency, and fostering inclusive development at household, community, and institutional levels. Through two major projects funded by the Governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea, UN Women’s interventions in five districts significantly strengthened women’s participation in economic and public life while promoting positive shifts in gender norms. These efforts enabled 530 women entrepreneurs (97: Anuradhapura, 108: Batticaloa, 97: Mannar, 118: Badulla and 112: Mullaitivu) to stabilize or expand their businesses, thereby improving household resilience to economic shocks and creating sustainable income streams. The independent final review confirmed that over 80% of trained entrepreneurs reported business expansion and increased revenue, surpassing project targets. Approximately 181 new employment opportunities were generated based on a sample of trained entrepreneurs, demonstrating the multiplier effect of women-led enterprises. Peer-led knowledge sharing, such as community-organized workshops, amplified impact beyond direct beneficiaries, while financial literacy training emerged as particularly transformative—helping women transition from informal to formal business practices. As a result, UN Women’s work indirectly benefitted around 2,012 household members and vendors linked to targeted entrepreneurs. Social norms and behaviour change interventions embedded within WEE programming were instrumental in creating enabling environments for women’s leadership. Ninety-six percent of surveyed women entrepreneurs observed positive behavioural changes among male household members, including support for women’s business activities (80%) and shared domestic responsibilities (53%). Similarly, 96% of male respondents (spouses or family members) acknowledged the importance of women’s empowerment for community development. These outcomes stemmed from targeted engagement with men and couples through initiatives such as Happy Family Camps, which reached 919 individuals (481 women and 438 men). Among participating couples, 92% reported stronger emotional support and improved communication, reflecting enhanced mutual respect and joint problem-solving. The review also highlighted knowledge spillover, as some male household members initiated their own social norms sessions in villages, multiplying impact beyond the project. These lessons have informed the design of the new THRIVE project, which aims to scale these results. In parallel, UN Women advanced women’s participation in STEM careers through a comprehensive training programme that strengthened both technical and soft skills for 101 young women aged 20–25. The curriculum covered digital safety, artificial intelligence, robotics, entrepreneurship, branding, storytelling, pitching, and leadership. Post-programme surveys revealed that 88% of participants reported significant improvements in soft skills, while over 70% expressed high confidence in technical competencies. The programme also facilitated professional networking, with 70% forming three to five new connections, and led to tangible employment opportunities with leading technology firms. To sustain these outcomes, 12 innovation clubs were established across universities, fostering continued learning and cascading benefits beyond the initial cohort. Peacebuilding interventions under the NAP-WPS and Pathway to Peace (P2P) projects contributed to improved inter-communal trust and strengthened social cohesion. Over 87% of trained women respondents reported enhanced trust within and among communities, while 93% applied their learning to prevent conflict escalation at household or community levels. Furthermore, 89% expressed confidence in resolving community-level conflicts, supported by qualitative evidence of improved dialogue and conflict sensitivity. In total, 39 community peacebuilding projects were jointly designed and implemented by 667 individuals, reaching approximately 12,396 community members. These projects addressed local conflict drivers such as ethnic segregation, youth disengagement, and marginalization of vulnerable groups, promoting empathy, interdependence, and inclusive peace narratives. Additionally, Inter-community Multi-stakeholder Dialogues (IMDs) strengthened local-level peacebuilding and gender-responsive governance. These dialogues engaged 297 women, community leaders, local authorities, and civil society representatives (F: 230, M: 67) across four districts (Anuradhapura: 61, Batticaloa: 82, Mannar: 78, and Mullaitivu: 76), including ethnically and religiously diverse communities (91 : Sinhalese, 191: Tamil, 4: Muslim and 11: not specified). Capacity-building components enhanced institutional literacy and empowered stakeholders to engage effectively with public authorities. Rated as highly effective by 97% of surveyed participants, IMDs facilitated critical conversations on structural issues such as language-based discrimination, gender-based violence, and underrepresentation of women in public institutions. Participants reported applying new strategies in service delivery, social equity, and needs-based assistance, demonstrating the practical impact of these interventions. Overall, structured learning in business development, STEM skills, and peacebuilding translated into improved confidence, strengthened capacities, and psychosocial benefits such as increased independence and conflict-resolution skills. On average, 84% of beneficiaries across the two projects rated interventions as highly responsive to their needs, with particularly strong ratings for WEE (70%), STEM (86%), and peacebuilding/social norms transformation (97%). A commitment to intersectionality ensured that women-headed households, low-income women, and ethnic and religious minorities were effectively reached, reinforcing UN Women’s inclusive approach. At the institutional level, UN Women supported 18 government agencies (11: Ministries and 4: department) to coordinate, implement, and report on the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS), with approximately 18% of activities completed or ongoing. Technical leadership contributed to establishing the national Core Steering Committee and six thematic committees, though challenges such as staff turnover and lack of costed estimates limited overall progress. UN Women also strengthened UN System coordination through leadership of the Gender Task Force, integrating gender-responsive indicators into the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and securing endorsement from the UN Country Team, thereby enhancing collective accountability for gender equality. Together, these interventions have advanced women’s rights, representation, and safety; strengthened institutional accountability for gender-responsive governance; and deepened women’s participation in peacebuilding and economic life. The cumulative results mark meaningful progress toward long-term, transformative impact for women and girls in Sri Lanka.