Yekaterinburg hosted the III International Women's Forum on Harmony, Unity and Development. Shobini Gunasekera, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Russian Federation, was invited as a special speaker and took part in the Plenary Session along with Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman of Russian MFA, Maria Sittel, Chairman of the Russian Women's Union, Hoda Galal Yassa, President of the Arab Union of Women Investors and others.

Speaking on the Government best practices for women empowerment in Sri Lanka, Ambassador Gunasekera emphasized the increasing role of women engaged in different sectors of economy, political, social and public spheres and highlighted the six pillars under which Sri Lanka pursues action namely legal protection and institutional framework, education, health including reproductive health, economic participation, political and social inclusiveness.
Ambassador Gunasekera also participated in a panel discussion where she outlined the cultural and traditional aspects of family policy in Sri Lanka, protection of family and women rights, family values and social harmony and gave an interview to OTV Media on the subject area of empowerment of women.
This year the Women's Forum gathered 15 000 participants from 20+ countries including foreign experts, representatives of Government sector and business circles to address the pressing issues of demography and traditional values, the development of women's entrepreneurship and accruing opportunities and the emerging role of women in the modern society.