Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva

His Excellency Sumith Dassanayake

NAME : Sumith Dassanayake

CIVIL STATUS : Married

EDUCATION :

• B.Sc. (Hons), Biological Sciences – 1995

University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

• M. A, Conflict & Peace Studies (Reading)

University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

• Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations -2009

Bandaranaika Centre for International Studies, Colombo

• Advanced Security Cooperation Course – 2009

Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawaii

PRESENT POSITION : Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to United Nations Office in Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland

DIPLOMATIC ASSIGNMENTS:

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Federative Republic of Brazil

[With concurrent accreditation to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia,Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Suriname, and Guyana – from September 2021 to December 2024]

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Ethiopia and Permanent  Representative to the African Union Commission (First Ambassador of Sri Lanka)

[With concurrent accreditation to Djibouti,Somalia and South Sudan [October 2016 – November 2019]

Deputy Chief of Mission/Minister, Sri Lanka High Commission, Ottawa, Canada [2010-2014]

Deputy Chief of Mission/Counsellor/First Secretary, Sri Lanka Embassy, Oslo, Norway [2005-2008]

Second Secretary, Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission, Chennai, India [2000-2003]

POSITIONS HELD IN SRI LANKA (AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS)

Director General Human Resources & Mission Management Division

Director General (Political Affairs) Middle East & Africa Division

Director, South Asia and SAARC Division

Deputy Chief of Protocol

Assistant Director, East Asia and Pacific Division

Assistant Director, Overseas Administrations Division

Assistant Director, Consular Affairs Division

OFFICIAL DELEGATE:      

• Led the first ever Sri Lankan trade delegation to Chile on 26th September 2023 with 14 Ceylon Teaexporting companies.

• Represented Sri Lanka at the African Union Summits held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

• 60th Anniversary Commemoration of the Asia-African Conference held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 22-24 April 2025.

• In February 2012, visited Peru and Guatemala with the Special Envoy of the president of Sri Lanka to seek support of Sri Lanka at the UNHRC 2012 session.

• The 4th UEAD Public/Private Counter-Piracy Conference: 2014 held in Dubai.