Sri Lanka’s newly appointed Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, formally presented his credentials to Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva. 

Following the credential presentation, Ambassador Dassanayake extended greetings from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath. 

Director-General Valovaya expressed her appreciation for Sri Lanka’s active participation in global initiatives, notably recognizing the country’s organization of International Vesak Day at UNOG and the inaugural celebration of International Tea Day in 2025.

She also invited Sri Lanka to continue collaborating on current and future projects led by her office.

A seasoned diplomat, Ambassador Dassanayake joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998.

His previous roles include Director-General of Human Resources and Mission Management, as well as heading Human Resources Development, Training, and Research at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.

He has extensive overseas experience, having served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Brazil with concurrent accreditation to several Latin American countries from 2021 to 2024.