High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Shelley Whiting launched the Regional Women's Parliamentary Initiative on Jan.29 in Colombo. Greeted by Ms Chandrani Bandara Jayasinghe, Sri Lankan Minister of Women and Child Affairs and Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus at Parliament the delegates were taken on a tour of the Parliament building.

Participating parliamentarians also engaged in a series of meetings with key Sri Lanka parliamentarians, government officials and civil society activists promoting women's political participation.

On February 01 and 02 the women parliamentarians will engage in a series of activities in  New Delhi designed to forge links between these political leaders and their nations.

These events are focused on mobilizing support toward engaging women in the parliamentary process and empowering women politically as a means to shape more egalitarian societies. Increased women’s leadership in governance structures, the economy, and civil society is key to achieving gender equality.