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From 21–24 January 2025, representatives from all 16 regional political parties in the Bangsamoro travelled to Sri Lanka for a learning visit. This immersion provided valuable insights into how a whole-of-society approach contributed to peaceful elections in Sri Lanka.
A project that WFD delivers in Bangsamoro, an autonomous region in the southern Philippines, has won a UK Government Project Delivery Award, which recognises complex and ambitious projects across Government.
Through four retreats, women leaders had space to learn, reflect, and grow through mentorship from international political figures and practical workshops on leadership, communication, and public engagement.
Following Sri Lanka’s 2024 parliamentary election on 14 November, Naushalya Rajapaksha, author of WFD’s 2023 report on the cost of politics in Sri Lanka explores shifting spending patterns by both candidates and voters, and the impact of this on the election outcomes.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) is guiding the region of the Philippines towards a peaceful and inclusive autonomy. WFD is working to support the democratic aspirations of the BTA.
WFD is supporting the Parliament of Sri Lanka as it adopts a more inclusive approach to policymaking. Through this work, WFD is helping to create accountable and inclusive policies and laws that benefit all Sri Lankans.
Recently, activities took place in Sri Lanka to explore crucial matters of public debt oversight and the role of parliament in monitoring and ensuring transparency in debt management practices.
In 2021-22, our Global Equality Project (GEP) built on the success of our previous project on equality in the Commonwealth.
WFD is supporting the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), to put in place the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the constitutional basis of Bangsamoro, and to build the required institutional architecture and structures for effective and inclusive governance in Bangsamoro.
With WFD’s assistance, a group of civil society organisations in Bangsamoro have formed a technical working group (TWG) with increasing membership and produced a guide to engaging parliament.
To help build awareness of the realities of LGBT+ peoples’ lives in Sri Lanka, WFD provided funding for a series of fictional short films, which premiered in the country in late 2021 and will go on tour around the country in 2022.
Under the Commonwealth Equality Project (CEP), WFD engaged and worked with different stakeholders on an evidence-based approach to LGBT+ issues in Sri Lanka.
Ensuring that women and minority groups in Bangsamoro have political voice and meaningful representation is essential to enable the autonomous region to transition into a working democratic entity. In support of this vision, WFD recently held a Strategic Planning Workshop on Political Advocacy for members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Social Welfare Committee (SWC) in Bangsamoro. From 11th – 13th August 2021, 20 members of the SWC gathered for the event which took place in Isulan town, Sultan Kuarat.
The Social Scientists Association undertook a survey of the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of Sri Lankans about Sri Lankan LGBT persons.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in the Muslim Mindanao, a new devolved administration in the Southern Philippines, was one year into a complex transition period when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Following decades of conflict, the transitional authority in charge of the region faced the same challenges more seasoned governments have been buffeted by around the globe. All the while, a raft of complex governance issues urgently demanded attention too
