WiLAT Sri Lanka Forum celebrates third anniversary

The third anniversary of Women in Logistics and Transport Sri Lanka (WiLAT) forum was held on March 8th on the 106th international women’s day at the Kingsbury Hotel. 
The theme for this year’s event was ‘pledge for parity” which is in line with the UN’s mission to achieve gender parity by 2030.

Chairperson of WiLAT Gayani de Alwis welcomed the audience with a quotation, from GA Anderson that “Feminism is not about making women stronger. Women are already stronger. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength” and urged the men and women to join hands with WiLAT to make a pledge to create gender diversity in logistics and transport sector.

Each year the 8th of March provides us with the annual occasion to reflect on the great strides that women have made, and continue to make, in the workplace and beyond. However, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the work still to be done if society’s true potential is ever to be fully realised and achieve parity Chairperson said.

Sri Lanka produced the first woman Prime Minister in 1960, elected the first executive president in 1994 and also formed the first Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. With such a legacy it’s a puzzle as to why there is such abysmally low women representation in politics as well as in the world of work she said. 

Guest of Honour Romesh David, Past Chairman and International Vice President of Chartered Institute of Logistic and Transport Sri Lanka (CILT) in his address said that CILT with its mission to promote and encourage the art and science of Logistics and Transport, took a giant step forward on 21st March 2013 to encourage women representation in  transport and logistics industry by launching the  Women in Logistics and Transport Sri Lanka (WiLAT) forum.

The main objective of the forum is to create a platform to discuss issues connected with the low profile of women in the industry and to provide opportunities for their career advancement by empowering them to make the right choices in their careers and become leading professionals in the industry he said. He mentioned the importance of male supporters towards achieving gender parity by highlighting the UN initiative on ‘He for She’ and urged men to act as change agents and support this cause.

The keynote speaker Nelun Gunasekera, Social and Gender Development Specialist, ADB said that achieving gender equality requires the engagement of women and men, girls and boys and It is everyone’s responsibility. Quoting from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, she said that women hold up more than half the sky and represent much of the world’s unrealized potential. They are the educators. They raise the children. They hold families together and increasingly drive economies. They are natural leaders. We need their full engagement in government, business and civil society.