ITC SheTrades Outlook celebrates gender inclusive policy reforms in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Export Development Board (EDB) is proud to host the newly launched SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub, marking a milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to support women entrepreneurs. As the host institution, EDB, in collaboration with ITC SheTrades, uses the SheTrades Outlook tool to monitor the policy environment and assess its support for women entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka.

The SheTrades Outlook (STO) tool plays a pivotal role in addressing gender gaps in the global trade landscape. By providing data-driven insights, practical tools, and technical assistance, STO helps governments shape more gender-inclusive trade policies, ensuring that women have the resources and opportunities to thrive.

Since 2019, STO has been working with Sri Lanka to monitor and improve the country’s trade policies, and now, the EDB and STO came together to host a workshop on 21 March to present updated data on the country’s progress.

The updated data highlighted significant achievements identified through STO’s work with Sri Lanka, including:

• The adoption of the National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, which emphasizes women’s economic empowerment through productive employment and entrepreneurship.
• The implementation of standard definitions for women-led and women-owned businesses, enhancing the country's ability to gather robust, gender-sensitive data.
• The National Financial Inclusion Strategy launched by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in March 2021, focusing on improving women’s access to formal finance.
• The ongoing Financial Literacy Roadmap 2024-2028, developed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, which targets women as one of its primary focus groups.

These developments represent significant steps toward achieving gender equality in Sri Lanka’s economic landscape. During the workshop at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, these achievements were shared with an audience from various locations and institutions. Through collaborative consultations and breakout group discussions, EDB and ITC SheTrades gathered insights and validated key information on current challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

“Through the SheTrades Outlook data insights, discussed with 20+ national stakeholders during the workshop, EDB has identified policy areas for improvement. We are committed to addressing them with relevant stakeholders through targeted export oriented programmes that will create a more enabling environment for women in international trade.” – Mr. Mangala Wijesinghe, Chairman and CEO, Export Development Board Sri Lanka

As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering inclusive development, EDB is also exploring ways to integrate gender mainstreaming into the National Export Development Plan (NEDP). EDB is enthusiastic about further collaboration with ITC SheTrades and other stakeholders to ensure that gender equality remains a core priority in Sri Lanka’s trade and economic policies.

“Sri Lanka is prioritizing a more inclusive business and policy environment for women. Since launching the ITC SheTrades Outlook in the country in 2019, women have had increased access to financial literacy and benefited from a national policy on gender equality and women's empowerment. We’ll continue to partner with Sri Lanka on these efforts to unlock opportunities for women.” – Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre