{"id":26045,"date":"2026-08-25T10:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T10:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/?p=26045"},"modified":"2026-08-25T10:58:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T10:58:34","slug":"wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"26045\" class=\"elementor elementor-26045\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b028584 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4b028584\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fc1cba1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"fc1cba1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dab246a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"dab246a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space.<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dfbafd7 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"dfbafd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-059c769 elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-far-user-circle\" viewBox=\"0 0 496 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M248 104c-53 0-96 43-96 96s43 96 96 96 96-43 96-96-43-96-96-96zm0 144c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48s21.5-48 48-48 48 21.5 48 48-21.5 48-48 48zm0-240C111 8 0 119 0 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S385 8 248 8zm0 448c-49.7 0-95.1-18.3-130.1-48.4 14.9-23 40.4-38.6 69.6-39.5 20.8 6.4 40.6 9.6 60.5 9.6s39.7-3.1 60.5-9.6c29.2 1 54.7 16.5 69.6 39.5-35 30.1-80.4 48.4-130.1 48.4zm162.7-84.1c-24.4-31.4-62.1-51.9-105.1-51.9-10.2 0-26 9.6-57.6 9.6-31.5 0-47.4-9.6-57.6-9.6-42.9 0-80.6 20.5-105.1 51.9C61.9 339.2 48 299.2 48 256c0-110.3 89.7-200 200-200s200 89.7 200 200c0 43.2-13.9 83.2-37.3 115.9z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEditor\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-0fc70ba elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/2026\/08\/25\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-calendar\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M12 192h424c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12v260c0 26.5-21.5 48-48 48H48c-26.5 0-48-21.5-48-48V204c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12zm436-44v-36c0-26.5-21.5-48-48-48h-48V12c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v52H160V12c0-6.6-5.4-12-12-12h-40c-6.6 0-12 5.4-12 12v52H48C21.5 64 0 85.5 0 112v36c0 6.6 5.4 12 12 12h424c6.6 0 12-5.4 12-12z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>\u0d85\u0d9c\u0ddd\u0dc3\u0dca\u0dad\u0dd4 25, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7091eb3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7091eb3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-26053\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-732655f4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"732655f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On 24th August 2026, the Women and Media Collective (WMC) convened a discussion with representatives of women\u2019s rights organisations and civil society organisations on the draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The meeting brought together 110 civil society activists and representatives from 17 districts \u2014 Anuradhapura, Badulla, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kandy, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matara, Monaragala, Mullaitivu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam and Trincomalee.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The draft Bill was publicly circulated in July 2026 on the stated basis that it is necessary for Sri Lanka\u2019s compliance with the standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which is the global, inter-governmental watchdog countering terrorism financing and money laundering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participants raised serious concerns about the breadth and scope of the proposed legislation. The Bill defines a \u201cnon-governmental organisation\u201d extremely broadly, extending beyond organisations traditionally understood as NGOs to include voluntary social service organisations, non-governmental microfinance organisations, organisations incorporated by Parliament, and a wide range of associations, councils, community hostels, foundations, federations, movements, centres, consortia and other community-based organisations.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If enacted the law will make it a requirement for any such organisation to register with a newly appointed \u2018competent authority\u2019 under the purview of a Minister\/Ministry as yet unnamed.\u00a0 The competent authority would also have extensive powers to regulate, review and monitor registered organisations and their activities. These include powers to enter NGO premises without a warrant, with prior notice, and to access and examine records, including records subject to confidentiality arrangements.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The provisions of the draft Bill severely curtails the independence and autonomy of a spectrum of civil society organisations from the village and community level to the national. \u00a0 It infringes the rights guaranteed in the Constitution to the freedom of Assembly, Association and Expression.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The discussion also situated these concerns within the longer history of civil society\u2013State relations in Sri Lanka. Women activists noted that NGOs and CSOs have historically faced harassment, intimidation, threats and other forms of pressure from State entities. Against this background, participants were concerned that the proposed legislation could further expand State control and oversight, intensify existing pressures, and create a more restrictive environment for organisations working to advance human rights, gender equality, social justice and democratic participation.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critically, participants also examined the\u00a0 FATF standards cited to the legislation.\u00a0 The discussion highlighted concerns that the proposed framework does not reflect the FATF&#8217;s emphasis on targeted, proportionate and risk-based measures, but instead risks imposing broad and disproportionate regulatory requirements across civil society.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The meeting provided an important space for women\u2019s organisations from across Sri Lanka to share experiences, assess the potential gendered impacts of the proposed legislation, and discuss the need for collective action to protect civic space, freedom of association and the autonomy of women\u2019s rights and civil society organisations.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Conversation and activism will continue.\u00a0 Women\u2019s organisations will continue to work together to defend civic space and ensure that regulation of civil society does not become a mechanism for restricting rights, dissent and democratic participation.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f79134 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-arrows-position-inside elementor-pagination-position-outside elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-carousel\" data-id=\"4f79134\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;slides_to_show&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;navigation&quot;:&quot;both&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_hover&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_interaction&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;autoplay_speed&quot;:5000,&quot;speed&quot;:500}\" data-widget_type=\"image-carousel.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel-wrapper swiper\" role=\"region\" aria-roledescription=\"carousel\" aria-label=\"Image Carousel\" dir=\"ltr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel swiper-wrapper swiper-image-stretch\" aria-live=\"off\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"1 of 6\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_20260824_133815253-768x576.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20260824_133815253\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"2 of 6\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_20260824_135107058-768x576.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20260824_135107058\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"3 of 6\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_20260824_133923161-768x576.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20260824_133923161\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"4 of 6\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_20260824_154427496-768x576.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20260824_154427496\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"5 of 6\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_20260824_141758245-768x576.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20260824_141758245\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"6 of 6\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_20260824_162328984-768x576.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_20260824_162328984\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-prev\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-chevron-left\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M646 125C629 125 613 133 604 142L308 442C296 454 292 471 292 487 292 504 296 521 308 533L604 854C617 867 629 875 646 875 663 875 679 871 692 858 704 846 713 829 713 812 713 796 708 779 692 767L438 487 692 225C700 217 708 204 708 187 708 171 704 154 692 142 675 129 663 125 646 125Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-next\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-chevron-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M696 533C708 521 713 504 713 487 713 471 708 454 696 446L400 146C388 133 375 125 354 125 338 125 325 129 313 142 300 154 292 171 292 187 292 204 296 221 308 233L563 492 304 771C292 783 288 800 288 817 288 833 296 850 308 863 321 871 338 875 354 875 371 875 388 867 400 854L696 533Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4613c44 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"4613c44\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space. On 24th August 2026, the Women and Media Collective (WMC) convened a discussion with representatives of women\u2019s rights organisations and civil society organisations on the draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 at the Sri Lanka [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,74,45,34,52,115],"tags":[198,199,188],"class_list":["post-26045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-constitution","category-discriminatory-laws","category-events","category-media-and-mobilization","category-networking","category-political-and-social-transformation","tag-ngo-bill","tag-vsso-bill","tag-womens-representation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO Bill 2026 - Women &amp; Media Collective<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Women and Media Collective hosted a convening of women&#039;s rights organisations to critically examine and discuss the newly proposed Draft NGO Bill (2026)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"si_LK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO Bill 2026 - Women &amp; Media Collective\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Women and Media Collective hosted a convening of women&#039;s rights organisations to critically examine and discuss the newly proposed Draft NGO Bill (2026)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Women &amp; Media Collective\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/womenandmediacollective\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-25T10:57:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-25T10:58:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@womenandmedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@womenandmedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8606fd542535c96fb1aaead63c02654e\"},\"headline\":\"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-25T10:57:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-25T10:58:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":537,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"NGO bill\",\"VSSO bill\",\"women's representation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Constitution\",\"Discriminatory Laws\",\"Events\",\"Media\",\"Networking\",\"State and Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"si\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO Bill 2026 - Women &amp; Media Collective\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-25T10:57:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-25T10:58:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"Women and Media Collective hosted a convening of women's rights organisations to critically examine and discuss the newly proposed Draft NGO Bill (2026)\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"si\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"si\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Women & Media Collective\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"si\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Women & Media Collective\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"si\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/logo-01.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/logo-01.svg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Women & Media Collective\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/womenandmediacollective\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/womenandmedia\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/wmc_srilanka\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/women-and-media-collective\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8606fd542535c96fb1aaead63c02654e\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"si\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d8a13b129d75b0afaf63287d5690152de41a30f6b4046d384d2ee54e4bd67b65?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d8a13b129d75b0afaf63287d5690152de41a30f6b4046d384d2ee54e4bd67b65?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d8a13b129d75b0afaf63287d5690152de41a30f6b4046d384d2ee54e4bd67b65?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/womenandmedia.org\\\/si\\\/author\\\/senura\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO Bill 2026 - Women &amp; Media Collective","description":"Women and Media Collective hosted a convening of women's rights organisations to critically examine and discuss the newly proposed Draft NGO Bill (2026)","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/","og_locale":"si_LK","og_type":"article","og_title":"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO Bill 2026 - Women &amp; Media Collective","og_description":"Women and Media Collective hosted a convening of women's rights organisations to critically examine and discuss the newly proposed Draft NGO Bill (2026)","og_url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/","og_site_name":"Women &amp; Media Collective","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/womenandmediacollective","article_published_time":"2026-08-25T10:57:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-25T10:58:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@womenandmedia","twitter_site":"@womenandmedia","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8606fd542535c96fb1aaead63c02654e"},"headline":"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space","datePublished":"2026-08-25T10:57:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-25T10:58:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/"},"wordCount":537,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg","keywords":["NGO bill","VSSO bill","women's representation"],"articleSection":["Constitution","Discriminatory Laws","Events","Media","Networking","State and Politics"],"inLanguage":"si","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/","name":"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO Bill 2026 - Women &amp; Media Collective","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-25T10:57:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-25T10:58:34+00:00","description":"Women and Media Collective hosted a convening of women's rights organisations to critically examine and discuss the newly proposed Draft NGO Bill (2026)","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"si","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"si","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Safeguarding-Civic-Space-1024x576.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wros-convene-against-draft-ngo-bill-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Women\u2019s Rights Organisations Convene to Campaign Against the Draft NGO (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026 and Safeguard Civic Space"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/","name":"Women & Media Collective","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"si"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#organization","name":"Women & Media Collective","url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"si","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/logo-01.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/logo-01.svg","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Women & Media Collective"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/womenandmediacollective","https:\/\/x.com\/womenandmedia","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wmc_srilanka\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/women-and-media-collective\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/8606fd542535c96fb1aaead63c02654e","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"si","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8a13b129d75b0afaf63287d5690152de41a30f6b4046d384d2ee54e4bd67b65?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8a13b129d75b0afaf63287d5690152de41a30f6b4046d384d2ee54e4bd67b65?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d8a13b129d75b0afaf63287d5690152de41a30f6b4046d384d2ee54e4bd67b65?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/author\/senura\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26045"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26063,"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26045\/revisions\/26063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenandmedia.org\/si\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}