Draft:Himali Jinadasa

  • Comment: this is a biographical tribute not a NPOV encyclopedia article DGG ( talk ) 02:55, 7 June 2020 (UTC)

Early life and family

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Born in the UK when her father was covering a diplomatic assignment for the Sri Lanka High Commission in London, she attended Northolt High School and Ealing Junior Music School (Middle School) studying the flute, violin and theory of music and was auditioned for the Royal College of Music in 1983.

Returning to Sri Lanka she attended Musaeus College and went on to follow her graduate studies at the University of Colombo specializing in history, and in the field of law passed the Preliminary Examination, Attorney –at –Law Sri Lanka Law College. She also holds a Msc. History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science(LSE).

Career

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Himali Jinadasa started her career as a Researcher for the Commission for the Elimination of Discrimination and Monitoring of Human Rights (CEDMHR) preceding institution to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Sri-Lanka Foundation, on an analysis on the perception of discrimination through a survey of complaints submitted to the Commission. Soon after completing her studies at the LSE she was appointed as National Land and Property Advisor and District Land and Property Officer /Advisor, Bobonaro for the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).

At the end of mission she was appointed to the Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP), Presidential Secretariat which was at that time headed by Jayantha Dhanapala as Director Presidential Initiative-National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR),[1] consisting of Political, Religious and Civil Society Committees (September 2004 – February 2007), established by Her Excellency the President Chandrika Kumaratunga, she also supported the proceedings of the All Party Conference established by H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

She was concurrently a Lecturer in Comparative Peace Processes for the University of Bradford, and was also a member of the Government delegation for the final round of Peace Talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held in Geneva, 2006.

She was assigned to the Ministry of Resettlement which was responsible for the co-ordinating of the services of the welfare centres established for the 290,000 internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka (IDP)s following the end of the 30 year war in May, 2009, and facilitate their return to their areas of origin in the former conflict affected areas.

In 2010 she was appointed as an Advisor to the Minister Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, MP, Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Sri Lanka), among a number of initiatives[2] she implemented was the ‘Sri Lanka Peace Collection’ program[3]to support livelihoods for 80 war widows in conjunction with the Office of the Assistant US Trade Representative for Central and South Asia (A/USTR) Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

As Director- General, Sri Lanka Export Development Board (SLEDB)[4][5][6] she organized the first ever multilateral biz delegation to Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Commonwealth Businesswomen's Network to support advocacy for policy formation within the Commonwealth,[7] and was also the Vice-Chairperson of the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Agency (NAITA).

The Ist. Female Chairperson appointed to the National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA),[8][9][10] she led the Country Delegation for the South Asian Women’s Entrepreneurship Symposium Group (SAWES) organized by the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) U.S. Department of State, South and Central Asia (SCA) Division and the SAARC Secretariat. (2014-)[11] and a member of the Commonwealth Business Women’s Network, Commonwealth Secretariat. She was selected by Forte Foundation & Financial Times FT Non-Executive Directors’ Club, UK for ‘Global Board Ready Women’[12] a global initiative started by the European Business School Women on Board Taskforce and was recognized for her service for women[13] with an Appreciation Award, Professional & Career Women’s Awards, Women in Management (WIM).

Himali Jinadasa has also for the last eight years also held the position of UNESCO Country Focal Point for Sri Lanka,[14] UNESCO Cluster Office-New Delhi, currently a Non-Resident Agency (NRA) in Sri Lanka. She was also a contributor to the Final Civil Society Report on the UN Decade of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010) which was submitted to the United Nations General Assembly in 2011.

Publications

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  • Jinadasa, Himali (2010). "Nationbuilding and Structural Change". In Moonasinghe, Gnani (ed.). Challenges for Nationbuilding- Priorities for Sustainability and Exclusivity. Colombo: Shramaya Publications. pp. 285–294.

Final Civil Society Report on the UN Decade of the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010), contributor for South Asian section, submitted to the Secretary General in accordance with the invitation contained in operative paragraphs 13 and 17 of the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/64/80 adopted under its agenda item on “Culture of Peace”.[15]

Interests

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Former Co-Principal Flautist, Lanka Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rohan Joseph De Saram.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "President Kumaratunga's speech at the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation". South Asia Terrorism Portal. 4 October 2004.
  2. ^ "ILO backed national co-op policy, a reality". Daily News. 19 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Sri Lanka Peace Collection debuts to empower war widows". Financial Times. 18 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Sri Lankan electronic exports at $343 mn". Daily News. 9 November 2015.
  5. ^ "EDB moves to stamp Brand Sri Lanka in global batik map". Financial Times. 16 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Ceylon Tea exporters in for better times". Adaderana. 21 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Biz delegation from C'wealth in Colombo". Daily News. 10 March 2016.
  8. ^ "First global entrepreneur education meet elevates Sri Lanka to prestigious UNESCO-APEID Chair". Financial Times. 18 October 2018.
  9. ^ "First global entrepreneur education meet in South Asia elevates Sri Lanka to prestigious UNESCO-APEID Chair". Adaderena. 17 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Himali Jinadasa Has been appointed new Chairperson in NEDA". Facebook.
  11. ^ "Women as engines of economic growth". Sunday Observer. 12 December 2012.
  12. ^ "Forte Foundation announces list of board-ready women; holds "Get on Board" event as part of 2020 Women on Boards national effort to increase the number of women on corporate boards". PR Newswire (Press release). 12 September 2012.
  13. ^ "Himali Jinadasa". Forward Sri Lanka.
  14. ^ "UNESCO warns time running out for Sri Lanka's prized heritage". Asia Tribune.
  15. ^ Jinadasa, Himali; Garnica, Johanna Ospina; Barbeito, Cécile; Oliveira, Marcos Estrada de (January 2010). "Final Civil Society Report on the UN International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World -2001-2010".
  16. ^ Himali, Jinadasa (10 September 2012). "Virtuosity coupled with versatility".