Prof. Rangita De Silva De Alwis Re-elected to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) with Highest Number of Votes
June 29, 2026
Sri Lanka’s candidate Professor Rangita De Silva De Alwis was re-elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) for a second consecutive term, 2027-2030, at the elections conducted during the 24th Meeting of the State Parties to the CEDAW Convention at the United Nations in New York on 26 June 2026.
State Parties to the Convention elected 12 members out of 20 candidates to the Committee of the Convention. Sri Lanka secured the highest number of votes: 144 votes of 187 member states that participated in the elections. Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, Estonia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Spain and Uganda were the other elected members to the Committee. Professor Rangita De Silva De Alwis is the first Sri Lankan candidate to be elected for a second term of the CEDAW.
Sri Lanka became a State Party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1981. CEDAW is an independent body of 23 experts on women’s rights from around the globe that monitor implementation of the Convention.
Professor Rangita De Silva De Alwis is a current member of the CEDAW following her election as one of the twelve candidates for the term, 2023-2026. Professor De Silva De Alwis serves as the Associate Dean of International Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Academic Director of the Global Institute for Human Rights, in the USA. She earned her Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Colombo and her LL.M and Ph D from Harvard Law School. She is an expert on international women’s human rights and matters coming under the purview of the CEDAW, with over 30 years of experience internationally, advocating for equal representation and rights of women.
Three Sri Lankan experts have served in the CEDAW since its inception. Professor Savitri Goonesekere served in the CEDAW committee from 1999-2002, and Ms. Vinitha Jayasinghe from 1982-1986. Professor Rangita De Silva De Alwis’s re-election is a further recognition of her expertise and competence, and reflects Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and promoting and protecting women’s rights.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
Colombo
27 June 2026
