Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai Priyanga Wickramasinghe addressed the India–Finland Dialogue on Gender Equality, Inclusion and Women's Empowerment held at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Mumbai on 11 August 2026. Organised jointly by the Consulate General of Finland in Mumbai, the CII Indian Women Network (IWN) – Western Region and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, the dialogue brought together diplomats, policymakers, corporate leaders, academics, researchers, women entrepreneurs, industry associations and CII members. The dialogue focused on advancing gender equality and creating inclusive and future-ready workplaces.

The conference opened with welcome remarks by Chairperson of CII IWN Western Region Ranjana Maitra, followed by special addresses by Consul General of Finland Erik af Hällström, who highlighted Finland's experience in progressive public policies and parental support systems, and Professor at JNU Delhi Jyoti Atwal, who addressed gender disparities in educational institutions.

In her remarks, Consul General Wickramasinghe observed that bringing together perspectives from Nordic Europe, India's socio-economic landscape and Sri Lanka's social development experience provided a valuable basis for cross-country collaboration and sharing best practices. She underscored that while healthcare and equal access to education provided an essential foundation, educational attainment alone did not necessarily translate into economic authority, boardroom representation or political leadership without structural intervention. She highlighted the need to recognise unpaid care work, strengthen rights-based economic inclusion and protect working-class women engaged in key sectors such as apparel, tea exports and foreign remittances.

She emphasised the need for shared responsibility between governments and the private sector to invest in care infrastructure, including gender-neutral parental leave and employer-supported childcare, promote target-driven women's representation in leadership, drawing on Sri Lanka's 25 per cent local government quota, and expand financial inclusion and digital skills for women entrepreneurs.

Sri Lanka's perspective was specifically sought at the dialogue as a regional benchmark, highlighting the experience of a South Asian nation with high human development indicators in advancing women's participation in economic, corporate and political leadership.

Consulate General of Sri Lanka
Mumbai

21 August 2026