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Home News Mission News Ambassador H.M.G.S. Palihakkara takes over Head of Mission of Sri Lanka’s UN Representation in New York
Ambassador H.M.G.S. Palihakkara takes over Head of Mission of Sri Lanka’s UN Representation in New York PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 04 August 2008 00:00
Former Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Palihakkara, has arrived in New York, succeeding Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam as the new Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. He will formally assume duties after presenting credential to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon later this month. Ambassador Kariyawasam is now back in the Ministry holding a senior position as Additional Foreign Secretary.


Ambassador Palihakkara has held a wide range of assignments in his civil and diplomatic service spanning 38 years, including as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador to Thailand with concurrent accreditation to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and Permanent Representative to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and Acting Director General of the Sri Lanka Government’s Peace Secretariat (SCOPP).

He has represented Sri Lanka at the UN Commission on Human Rights, UN Conference on Trade and Development , Conference on Disarmament and several other multilateral bodies.

He has also held a number of independent assignments including as  a Member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory  Board on Armed Control and Security Matters, Member of UN Inter-Government Expert Group on Comprehensive Study on Nuclear Weapons and International Security, and Member of the Panel of Ambassadors advising UN Human Rights High Commissioner.

B.Ed graduate from the University of Ceylon, he entered Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1979 and underwent Foreign Service Training Programme in Australia, and study programme on International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law  in the University of Lurd, Sweden in addition to receiving UN Disarmament Fellowship.