In a significant development for gender equality and climate justice in Sri Lanka, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), has included specific recommendations on climate change and disaster risk reduction in its Concluding Observations, following the Ninth Periodic Review of Sri Lanka in 2025.
This marks a key milestone for the Women and Media Collective who directly raised these concerns to the CEDAW committee, thereby bringing attention to the gendered dimensions of the climate crisis. By ensuring that these issues are recognised at international level, there is sustained pressure on the government to take meaningful action in response.
Being a tropical island nation, Sri Lanka remains acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, ranking among the top 25 most climate-affected countries in the world, and while national climate and disaster management strategies are now taking steps to integrate gender-responsive approaches, the pace and scale of inclusive action lacks the urgency the escalating climate crisis requires.
As such, the CEDAW Committee expressed concern over the lack of meaningful participation of women in climate policymaking, the impact of climate change on women’s livelihoods, the disproportionate impact of floods, droughts, cyclones and landslides on women, and the insufficient recognition of women’s contributions to environmental sustainability.
In response, the Committee issued strong recommendations to the Government of Sri Lanka calling for
- Equal and inclusive participation of women in the development, adoption and implementation of climate-resilient legislation, policies and frameworks.
- Implement targeted programs to support women small-scale farmers, including climate-adaptive training, access to sustainable technologies, climate finance, knowledge, and agriculture resources.
- Develop gender-responsive early warning systems and disaster management mechanisms that address the specific needs of women.
- Allocate resources for climate resilience initiatives, targeting women in vulnerable situations.
WMC welcomes these recommendations as a clear call to action for the government and development actors alike. It is also a moment to recognise and reaffirm that feminist organizing on climate justice is gaining ground, and our interventions are shaping global standards.
As we continue our work at the intersection of gender and climate, WMC remains committed to:
- Support gender-transformative climate action at national and local levels.
- Building, expanding and making climate resilience accessible to women and girls.
- Advocating for women’s inclusion and supporting women’s leadership in climate decision-making .
- Advocating for gender-equitable access to resources, technologies, early warning systems, and knowledge.
Read the full Concluding Observations of the CEDAW Committee on Sri Lanka’s Ninth Periodic Review [HERE].