It is with great delight that we welcome you to this exciting new venture between the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.   We are jointly organising what will be a ‘first’ in the 98 year history of the ACU  -  namely a conference which will explore from an essentially gendered perspective a number of key equity, educational and development issues.

The title of our conference has, of course, been chosen to reflect its relationship with, and to build on, the Commonwealth Theme for 2011:  ‘Women as Agents of Change’.   Thus, under the umbrella of our three sub-themes  -  Leadership, Economic Development and Research  -  the conference will endeavour to show that women have both responsibilities and rights to advance their careers and realise their capacity to effect positive change not only within their institutions but also, and even more importantly, within society itself.  

On a different and very practical level, and paraphrasing the challenge from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the Global Colloquium of University Presidents in Philadelphia in April this year, the conference will explore how universities, “by reflecting women’s rights and women’s representation in their curricula, appointments, practices and partnerships, can take the lead in transforming perceptions about, and overcoming discrimination against, women”.

This is absolutely not a conference just for women.  It is, rather, an opportunity for the higher education community, male and female, Commonwealth-wide, and for other interested parties in Ministries of Education, national university associations, national and international women’s organisations, business and industry, to engage with the political and ethical arguments in favour of addressing these issues;  to identify areas in their own institutions which may need to be challenged or changed;  and to share with others examples of policies and strategies which have proved to be particularly effective in their organisations.   

The conference is one of the main events to be undertaken by the University of Kelaniya's newly launched Centre for Gender Studies, which has a mandate to promote gender equity and equality (especially within Sri Lankan universities).

We  -  the University of Kelaniya and the ACU  -  very much hope you will wish and be able to join us at this conference and that we may look forward to seeing you in Colombo.

Postscript:  The Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Centre for Gender Studies, University of Kelaniya, wish to record with gratitude the sponsorship and support which was so generously provided to our conference by BT Options, Sri Lanka   -  and, in particular, the graciousness of Mr Mathi Parthipan and Ms Glenda Parthipan.