The 1st Module Examination on ‘Diplomatic Skills and Practice’ for the participants of the XXIXth Diploma Course was held on 1st December, 2024. Approximately 60 participants attended for the examination.
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GCSP visits BIDTI
A team of officials accompanied by Col (GS) Dr. Laurent Currit, Head of Defence & Diplomacy of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) visited the BIDTI on 4th December, 2024 to discuss the 7th International Defence Attachés Programme to be held in Colombo in May 2025. The Defence Attaché Orientation Programme was introduced to Sri Lanka in 2016 and established in collaboration with the Office of Chief of Defence Staff and the BIDTI.
The GCSP is an International Foundation established in Switzerland dedicated to promote Peace, Security and Stability through education, research and dialogue.
Etiquette of hosting Dinners / Luncheons
The BIDTI organized a session on ‘Etiquette of hosting Dinners / Luncheons’ to participants of the XXIXth Diploma Course. Simulation exercise held on 21st October 2024 was conducted by the prominent etiquette trainer Mrs. Krishanti Weerakoon.
South African High Commissioner speaks on challenges of Foreign Ministries in the 21st Century
South African High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Sandile Schalk speaking at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute highlighted challenges before the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the 21st Century. Delivering a speech on ‘The Role of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the 21st Century” at the BIDTI on 3rd November 2023, he said that global issues were calling for a new economic order.
High Commissioner Schalk emphasised the need of addressing the veto power of the United Nations Security Council, as it was no longer represent the existing global order. Further, with the advent of the multi polar world, a new global order is in the offing thus the world is in need of a moral leadership.
He highlighted the challenging situation in the world and how Foreign Service officers should respond to those by dissecting and analyzing situations reported in the media. High Commissioner Schalk expressed the importance of adopting to new trends as states cannot achieve multilaterally what had been lost bilaterally.
Referring to the South African Foreign Service, he said that Foreign Service Act governs the conduct and role of officers and they take the lead role in every negotiating event on behalf of the country.
Korean Ambassador Visits the BIDTI
The Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka Her Excellency Miyon Lee paid a visit to the BIDTI on Monday 18th September, 2023. Welcoming the Am
bassador, the Director General appreciated her visit undertaken upon commencing Ambassodor’s assignment in Sri Lanka.
Referring to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the BIDTI and the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) on 15th March 2017, Director General reminisced the visit undertaken by H. E. Cho Byug-jae, Vice Foreign Minister and Chancellor of the Academy to the BIDTI on 31st October, 2017. She also mentioned the dynamic language training programmes conducted by the KNDA, for which Sri Lankan diplomats are given opportunities to learn the Korean language.
Ambassador Lee stated that Sri Lanka is important to Korea as it has undertaken a number of projects in the country. In view of the cordial relationship enjoyed between the two countries Korea wishes to further enhance economic collaboration for the mutual benefit. Ambassador mentioned that she has already commenced meeting with key stake holders to discuss in this regard.
Dr. Nadeera Rajapakse talks on Travelling through Silk Roads at the BIDTI
Delivering a special guest lecture on ‘Travelling through Silk Roads: Cultural Pluralism and Porous Boarders’ at the BIDTI on 28th July, 2023, Assistant Professor of the University of Paris, Pantheon – Sorbonne Dr. Nadeera Rajapakse gave a detail description of journeys made by the famous traveller Ibn Battuta.
Dr. Rajapakse explained how Ibn Battuta , a Judge and a native of Tangier in Morocco had been received at various realms from the West to the East during his journeys as well as techniques he used to convince rulers to permit him to travel through areas under their jurisdiction.
She revealed the significance of the records of Battuta’s accounts which focused more on the people than on the places he visited and explained the great insights into the cultural practices along the way. She explained that those records show a greater cultural harmony than most mainstream history lessons have shown.
Dr. Rajapakse explained that the narrative of Battuta relevant to the Holy Kaaba where paintings of three angles existed. Further, the practice of the Mongolian court as well as existence of Christianity in the East. Referring to the Gandhara civilization she said that it was a mix of Greek culture and Buddhist thinking.
During the presentation, she described that the Silk Road provides proof that culture transcends borders and that borders themselves have been mostly porous and blurred. She pointed out that by looking at historical narrative of travel along the Silk roads, people get a sense of the ease or the difficulty of travel, the welcome or rejections travelers face, the way travelers and their cultures are integrated, assimilated in new places.
The talk given by Dr. Nadeera Rajapakse was under the Special Guest Lecture series conducted by the BIDTI. It was attended by distinguished persons including former Foreign Secretaries, Ambassadors, Academics and former participants of the programmes of the Institute.
Special guest lecture by Prof. Bérénice Guyot-Réchard
A Special Guest Lecture was conducted at the BIDTI on 26th May, 2023 by Prof. Bérénice Guyot-Réchard of King’s College London exclusively for participants of the BIDTI programmes.
Prof. Guyot-Réchard is the author of the critically acclaimed ‘Shadow States: India, China and the Himalayas, 1910-62’. A specialist of modern South Asia and the Indian Ocean, Prof. Guyot-Réchard holds an associate professorship in contemporary international history at King’s College London. Her award-winning work focuses on the long-term impact of decolonization, particularly in terms of international politics. She has written extensively on the strategic borderlands between India, China and Burma.
During her presentation, Prof. Guyot-Réchard revealed how the political tensions between two nations that took place from 1949 – 1962 who are striving for development have been exacerbated by geography and how sharing a border has increased their rivalry. Professor paid special significance to the friction in the Eastern Himalayan borderlands to which both nations lay claim. She explained the competition between the two nations to win over hearts and minds of the people in the border areas.
Three Constitutions and Three Decades of Working in the Parliament
Speaking at the BIDTI on Friday 30th September, the former Secretary General of Parliament Nihal Seneviratne highlighted the advantage of the constitution introduced by the Soulbury Commision stating that it was the best constitution Sri Lanka had up to date.
Having served in the Parliament over 30 years, Seneviratne elaborated on the evolution of the Constitution from the Colbrooke – Cameron reforms of 1833 up to the 1978 Constitution. He reiterated the importance of safeguarding the Constitution to uphold democratic values. Further, he discussed about the Executive Presidency, its influence and effects to the country shedding light on the variety of speeches orated over the years in the Parliament.
Highlights of his experience shared with the audience was received with an overwhelming response from the former Foreign Secretaries, Ambassadors, Military personnel, Academics, media as well as alumni of the BIDTI. The lecture was followed by an interactive session where many expressed concerns of the prevailing economic and political situation in the country suggesting remedial action.
Mr. Seneviratne’s speech was a part of the Special Guest Lecture Series initiated by the BIDTI in 2019 as an exercise in creating awareness on the contemporary topics among the general public. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the lecture series was suspended in March, 2020 and relaunched after two and half years with his lecture.
Webinar on Counter Terrorism Measures and IHL
The BIDTI in collaboration with the ICRC delegation in Sri Lanka conducted a webinar on ‘Counter Terrorism Measures and International Humanitarian Law’ on 8th April 2021. This is the third webinar of the series conducted on the contemporary challenges to International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The objective of the Webinar series is to create a platform for the state actor to deliberate on the challenges in implementing IHL. The panellists consisted of former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN and former Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Rohan Perera PC, former Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of
Sri Lanka and Chair Professor of Law in University of Peradeniya Professor Deepika Udagama as well as Brigadier Keerthi Kottawaththa Director, Directorate of Human Rights in IHL in Sri Lanka Army and Legal Advisor of ICRC Headquarters in Geneva Kelissiana Thynne.
his webinar in particular, featured the challenges to IHL by counter terrorism measures conducted in the context of armed conflict. Professor Udagma set the scene for the discussion by explaining the concurrent application of IHL to counter terrorism operations. Whilst Kelissiana Thynne addressed the concerns identified by the ICRC with regard to application of IHL to Counter- Terrorism measures in armed conflicts. Dr. Rohan Perera, who has written extensively on international terrorism gave an insight to disscussions of the sixth committee terms of application of IHL to Counter Terrorism measures. Lastly, Brigadier Kottawaththa shed light as to how the Sri Lanka Armed Forces integrate humanitarian considerations in Counter Terrorism operations in armed conflicts from an operational perspective.
The webinar was moderated by Legal Advisor to ICRC Delegation in Sri Lanka Samindika Elkaduwe.
Foreign Minister visits the BIDTI
The BIDTI was pleased to welcome the Minister of Foreign Relations Honourable. Dinesh Gunawardena, who visited the Institute on 29th September 2020. The visit undertaken amidst the busy schedule of the Minister was appreciated by the staff of the BIDTI.
