is a recognition of gaps and failures of the past in achieving gender equality and impacting to eliminate gender based discrimination and violence against women. It is of special interest to the area of GBV and its connections to reproductive rights and health, that this development agenda specifically mentions promoting physical and mental health and wellbeing, and reflects commitment to achieving “universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services including family planning information and education” (Paragraph 26). These areas have been emphasised by the Human Rights Committee and the CEDAW Committee in their responses to implementation of treaty obligations under the respective Conventions by states, including Sri Lanka. The Specific Goal on Health (Goal 3) and Gender Equality (Goal 5) reinforce each other. 2030 is the target date for the achievement of the goals on reproductive health (Target 3.7) which requires “achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, and the integration of reproductive health in to national strategies and programmes”. Health financing and capacity building for service delivery is recognised (Target 3.c). Target 5.2 on achieving Gender Equality specifically refer to elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, trafficking and sexual and other forms of exploitation of women. Specific reference is made in Target 5.3 to eliminating harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation. Importantly, Target 5.6 refers to achieving “universal access to reproductive health and reproductive rights” as reflected in the ICPD Programme of Action and Beijing Platform For Action and their relevant review conferences. These are important changes in the approach to development that go far beyond the MDGs. They reflect and reinforce international human rights norms and can contribute to holistic coordinated, legal reforms, policies, resource allocation and programmes that harmonise human rights and development approaches. The SDG agenda and philosophy must now be used in all interventions on gender equality, reproductive health and violence against women in Sri Lanka. Too often ad hoc and duplicated initiatives fail to impact on these issues in the long term. Sri Lanka is a country that has attached special importance to giving its people access to highest standards of health, including reproductive health. When we look back at the introduction of free health policies and State support for implementing them from the 1940s, we see that the country had already moved towards some of the approaches now recognized by all countries in the world as critically important to the wellbeing of peoples. A published report, “ICPD 15 years On: A Review of Progress, Sri Lanka” (2009) documents clearly that all Sri Lankan governments and civil society organizations have recognized the importance of laws, policies programmes and public financing in this area. The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda can be used as bench marks to promote political will, policy planning and resource allocation financing and capacity building in this important area. b) Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health The ICPD Conference in 1994 followed the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights (1993), both global conferences recognized that achieving reproductive and sexual health for the people are fundamental and basic human rights of the people. Consequently later global policy documents like the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and the Millennium Development Goals (2000) recognize that realizing high standards of reproductive and sexual health must be approached on the basis of human rights, including the right 02 COMPENDIUM ON LAW, GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS