Dr. (Mrs) Hiranthi Wijemanne

veteran in the public health sector of Sri Lanka 

Dr Wijemanne is a Graduate of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sri Lanka, Colombo and holds a Masters Degree in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA. She is also a Fellow of the Sri Lanka College of Community Physicians. She has been in the forefront of advocacy for children for over three decades.

Dr Wijemanne was a National Professional Officer for UNICEF in Colombo from 1977 to 2003. She was responsible for programmes in relation to Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition, Early Childhood Development, Primary Education and Protection of Children from abuse / exploitation as well as Children Affected by Armed Conflicts. After leaving UNICEF, she continued working as a Consultant on Child Rights issues with the Ministries of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, the National Child Protection authority, the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation. She has worked with INGO/NGO networks on Child Rights issues, particularly on protection aspects.

Some of the many significant programmes with which she was closely associated include the Universal Child Immunization Campaign, particularly the eradication of Polio, Control of Diarrheal Diseases, Safe Motherhood and Access to Emergency Obstetric Care and Maternal Death Audits and Promotion of Breast Feeding. She has also been closely involved in the implementing of programmes to eliminate Child Domestic Labour, the Sexual Exploitation of Children, including the Trafficking of Women and Children, Juvenile Justice, Programmes on EFA and Improving the Quality of Primary Education. She was also a Member of the National Committee on Women and contributed to programmes to combat gender-based violence. She has also been involved in programming related to HIV/AIDS prevention, particularly focused on adolescence and young people. She has been a strong advocate against the forcible recruitment of children in the armed conflict of Sri Lanka and the establishing of Rehabilitation Services for Child Surrendees based on the UNCRC and Paris principles. She was a Member of the Sri Lanka Task Force on UNSC Resolution 1612 from its inception in July 2006 until 2010.

Dr Wijemanne was closely associated with the Ministry of External Affairs during the ratification of the UNCRC by Sri Lanka in 1991 and the subsequent protocols to the Convention. She has been a Member of the National CRC Monitoring Committee and contributed to the preparation of the 1st and 2nd report as well as the combined 3rd and 4th Reports by Sri Lanka. She was elected a Member of the UN Monitoring Committee on Child Rights by the UN General Assembly in 2010.