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From advancing women's political participation in ASEAN countries to supporting democratic transitions in Bangsamoro and improving the information ecosystem in Taiwan, WFD's collaborative, locally-led approach is helping create more transparent, representative and sustainable democratic systems throughout the region.
To support parliament in its efforts to address Sri Lanka’s severe economic crisis and ensure sustainable and inclusive economic transformation, WFD Sri Lanka convened the Coalition for Inclusive Impact, which included MPs, political party members, media, civil society, and underrepresented groups. The group made recommendations for the recovery, including conducting an assessment of health sector policies that revealed that public-private partnerships could reduce the burden on Sri Lanka’s health sector.
With WFD’s support, in 2024, the Election Commission of Sri Lanka formed a collaborative, multi-stakeholder taskforce to enforce the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act (REEA), Sri Lanka’s first ever campaign finance law. WFD also supported country's first online monitoring tool to track campaign expenditure.
In a poignant speech to the Bangsamoro Parliament in February 2025, MP Engr. Don Mustapha Loong highlighted the transformative impact of WFD's support for the region's democratic transition since 2019.
The high and often growing costs that individuals bear in seeking and maintaining political office are excluding people from politics, fuelling corruption, and fundamentally reshaping the way in which citizens and their elected representatives interact.
From 21–24 January 2025, representatives from all 16 regional political parties in the Bangsamoro travelled to Sri Lanka for a learning visit. This immersion provided valuable insights into how a whole-of-society approach contributed to peaceful elections in Sri Lanka.
A project that WFD delivers in Bangsamoro, an autonomous region in the southern Philippines, has won a UK Government Project Delivery Award, which recognises complex and ambitious projects across Government.
Through four retreats, women leaders had space to learn, reflect, and grow through mentorship from international political figures and practical workshops on leadership, communication, and public engagement.
Following Sri Lanka’s 2024 parliamentary election on 14 November, Naushalya Rajapaksha, author of WFD’s 2023 report on the cost of politics in Sri Lanka explores shifting spending patterns by both candidates and voters, and the impact of this on the election outcomes.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) is guiding the region of the Philippines towards a peaceful and inclusive autonomy. WFD is working to support the democratic aspirations of the BTA.
WFD is supporting the Parliament of Sri Lanka as it adopts a more inclusive approach to policymaking. Through this work, WFD is helping to create accountable and inclusive policies and laws that benefit all Sri Lankans.
Recently, activities took place in Sri Lanka to explore crucial matters of public debt oversight and the role of parliament in monitoring and ensuring transparency in debt management practices.
In 2021-22, our Global Equality Project (GEP) built on the success of our previous project on equality in the Commonwealth.
WFD is supporting the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), to put in place the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the constitutional basis of Bangsamoro, and to build the required institutional architecture and structures for effective and inclusive governance in Bangsamoro.
With WFD’s assistance, a group of civil society organisations in Bangsamoro have formed a technical working group (TWG) with increasing membership and produced a guide to engaging parliament.
