NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SRI LANKA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA

Ravinatha Pandukabhaya Aryasinha, the new Permanent Representative of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Prior to his appointment in Geneva, Mr. Aryasinha was for five years the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union. From February 2007 until March 2008 he held the position of Director General of Public Communications and Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka. Mr. Aryasinha conducted a tour of duty to Washington D.C. in the United States from September 2005 to December 2006 where he held the position of Deputy Chief of Mission (with Ambassador rank) at the Embassy of Sri Lanka. Prior to that, he served as the Political Minister at the same Embassy, a position he held from August 2002 to August 2005.

Between 2000 and 2001 Mr. Aryasinha was a Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka, which followed five years serving as the Director of Publicity and Spokesperson at the Ministry, from 1995 to 2000. From 1993 to 1995 he held the position of National Information Officer at the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Sri Lanka, and from 1991 to 1993 he was the Assistant Director in the South Asia and SAARC department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Aryasinha undertook his first overseas posting in 1989, a three year tour in New Delhi, India, where he was the Second Secretary at the High Commission of Sri Lanka. He first joined the Foreign Service of Sri Lanka in 1988 as Assistant Director in the South East Asia department.

Before joining the diplomatic service Mr. Aryasinha worked as a journalist. From 1981 until 1988 he was a Political Correspondent at the Sri Lankan Rupavahini (TV) Corporation, and from 1980 to 1981 he was a Political Correspondent for the Ceylon Daily News in Sri Lanka. Mr. Aryasinha studied Political Science, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, followed by a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has undertaken wide-ranging professional and academic training and is a ‘Hurst Fellow’ at the School of International Service, American University, Washington D.C. He has also published several addresses and conference papers on subjects such as post-conflict Sri Lanka, trade relations and displaced persons.

Mr. Aryasinha was born on 13 September 1961 in Nugegoda, Sri Lanka, and is married with three children.