Special Guest Lectures

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 ... Read more

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 Ambassador, 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) ... Read more

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 , ... Read more

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, ... Read more

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 ... Read more

Tracing socio-cultural roots of the Portuguese influence in Sri Lanka

“Cultural impressions made by the Portuguese, have not been erased by the Dutch or the British” explained Dr. Shihan De Silva Jayasuriya in a Special Guest Lecture on “The Portuguese impact on the socio-culture of Sri Lanka” on 6th February 2019 at the BIDTI. “The intangible Portuguese heritage has been remarkably durable” thus having a … Read more

Peace building needs cohesive environment

Delivering a talk at the BIDTI, the former Defence Minister of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Prof. Selmo Cikotić stated that a cohesive environment is needed to create peace. Explaining the background of negotiating a settlement in his country, he mentioned that during the final two years of the war the parties to the conflict were unwilling ... Read more