During the ensuing conversation, Ambassador Athauda outlined the steady progress accomplished by Sri Lanka in strengthening accountability, transparency, democracy and reconciliation which are also in keeping with the values advocated by UNESCO. He also reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s continued support and commitment to engage further with UNESCO in achieving peace and sustainable development.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova in her remarks, commended on the significant contributions made by Sri Lanka to the work of the organization especially as a Member of its Executive Board. She noted with satisfaction Sri Lanka’s endeavours in fostering economic growth and reconciliation, particularly through education. Further, Director-General Bokova recalled the successful visit she undertook to Sri Lanka in August 2016 where she was able to witness first-hand the progress made in different spheres.

Ambassador B. K. Athauda has previously served as Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Netherlands and as Consul General of Sri Lanka in Frankfurt. He also has extensive experience in the private sector where he served in the senior management team of Iridium LLC, who are pioneers in mobile satellite telecommunication technologies. Ambassador Athauda is also the founder of the Diplomatic Council (DC) a United Nations (UN) registered global Think Tank with the objective to serve as a bridge between diplomacy, economy and society.