News

A meeting was held recently (31 August 2026) at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo to discuss the technical aspects of the Ten-Year National Action Plan for the Social Care Sector (2026–2035). The meeting, chaired by the Minister of Labour, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, focused on many technical matters related to the field of Social Care.

In line with the National Social Protection Policy and Strategy, the work on the Ten-Year National Action Plan on Social Protection (2026–2035) has been successfully completed with the technical support of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The plan, prepared under the initiative of three ministries—namely the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, and the Ministry of Labour—has now reached the final stage of obtaining Cabinet approval.

The main objective of this action plan is to identify unpaid care services in households, which have not been properly evaluated so far, and transform them into a formal economic sector in the country. Steps are also being taken to provide National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) certification and contributory social security systems to workers in the care sector, while confirming the special care services required by the 18% of the elderly population and 3.7% of people with severe disabilities in Sri Lanka. In addition, by reducing and sharing the care burden, the primary expectation is to establish the necessary support framework from the national to the rural level, thereby increasing women’s labour force participation, which currently stands at a low level of 32.3%.

Technical presentations related to the action plan for the social welfare sector were delivered by Ms. Champika Shiromalee, Director (Human Resource Management) of the Department of Manpower and Employment; Ms. Wasana Gunarathne, Director (Social Security) of the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment; Ms. K. P. C. Subhasini, Director (Planning and Operations) of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs; and Dr. Dilrukshi Herath, Deputy Director (NVQ Division) of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

The meeting was attended by a large number of stakeholders in the field, including Mrs. Joiny Simpson, Country Representative of the International Labour Organization.