Dr Dayanath Jayasuriya, an eminent lawyer and academic based Sri Lanka, will deliver a talk on developments in Sri Lanka during 71 years of that country's independent existence. Among other things, he will be offering his reflections on the ongoing peace process in his country and comparing it with the peace process in Northern Ireland.  His talk will include references to the lessons that can be learnt for conflict resolution and peace-building in deeply divided societies.

Dr Jayasuriya graduated with a LL.B. from the University of Ceylon and a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Colombo. In 1973 he was admitted as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and was later conferred the title of President’s Counsel. Previous positions held by him include Senior State Counsel in the Attorney-General’s Department, senior offices within the United Nations including that of Head of the UNAIDS Secretariat, Pakistan, and Chief Technical Adviser to the UN International Drug Control Programme covering South Asia and the Central Asian Republics. He has advised over 40 countries on legal regulatory matters. He is the Coordinator for South Asia for the International Association of Anti-Corruption Agencies.

Dr Jayasuriya has been a Visiting Professor, Visiting Scholar and Distinguished Visitor at institutions such as University of the Free State in South Africa, Harvard University, and Georgetown Law School, Washington D.C. He has written more than 20 books, 25 monographs and published over 200 articles. His books have been cited in judgments of the United States Appeal Courts and are standard works of reference for professional and post-graduate courses in many countries. He is on the editorial board of several British journals such as The Company Lawyer.

Dr Jayasuriya is also active in the corporate world and has served as Director of many large companies.  His involvement in corporate affairs has seen him chair several major regulatory bodies in Sri Lanka.

Refreshments will be provided after the lecture.