Ramanie Kunanayagam

“After 50 years of women’s rights I thought I would reflect from a global perspective on how women’s rights have evolved over the last 50 years. Today women have three quarter of the legal rights of men, although this differs substantially across the different regions of the world. When societies get more equal economies, they become more resilient. To ensure no one is left behind I will continue to champion greater investments in health and education especially in terms of access to women and girls and stronger laws and awareness against sexual harassment including having more men champion rights for women.”

Ramanie Kunanayagam, is a Sri Lankan born Australian citizen. She is currently a member of the World Bank Inspection Panel, an independent accountability mechanism of the World Bank, appointed by and reporting to the World Bank Board. Ramanie has held leadership positions Sustainability in both the private sector, (working for two FTSE 10 companies) and the non-profit sector. Most recently she was the Global Head of Social Performance and Human Rights for BG Group/royal Dutch Shell. She is a member of the Board of two international non-profit development organizations – RESOLVE and Youth Business International. In addition, Ms. Kunanayagam is a Fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia, and an Executive Session member at Columbia University’s Centre for Sustainable Investment.