FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – Deepika Udagama and Esala Weerakoon have been appointed as directors of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), effective April 30. They take over from M D D Pieris and Ranee Jayamaha, who have completed their respective terms in office.
The RCSS, established in 1992, serves as a policy research institution dedicated to examining both conventional and unconventional sources of conflict, as well as fostering conditions for peace. The board of the RCSS includes members Amal Jayawardane, Chulani Kodikara, Dilip Kodikara, Nazir Hussain, and Varun Sahni, with Ravinatha Aryasinha holding the position of Executive Director.
Below are brief profiles of the newly appointed directors:
Prof. Deepika Udagama
Prof. Deepika Udagama is a distinguished academic in the field of international human rights. She previously held the role of Chairperson at the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka from October 2015 to August 2020, and has been a member of the Human Rights Commission from 2003 to 2006, as well as the Law Commission from 2004 to 2009. Udagama also served as an Alternate Member representing Sri Lanka at the UN Sub-Commission on the Protection of Human Rights between 1998 and 2001.
In 1991, she established the Centre for the Study of Human Rights (CSHR) at the University of Colombo and founded the Department of Law at the University of Peradeniya in 2009. Until September 2025, she held the position of Chair Professor of Law at the University of Peradeniya. Udagama earned her legal degrees from the Faculty of Law at the University of Colombo (LL.B. (Hons.) and LL.M.) and from the University of California at Berkeley (LL.M. and Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD) in international human rights law).
Esala Weerakoon
Esala Weerakoon has had a prominent diplomatic career, most recently serving as the 14th Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) from March 2020 until September 2023. He was also the Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka from 2016 to 2017 and has held various senior positions, such as Senior Additional Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka during two different terms (2018-2019 and 2023-2024).
Weerakoon’s extensive 35-year career includes roles such as High Commissioner to India, Ambassador to Norway, and Deputy Chief of Mission to the USA, along with various assignments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also contributed to the Sri Lankan government as Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Housing, and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Development. He holds an Honours Degree in Economics from the University of Kelaniya and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
(Colombo/May 4, 2026)
