Ambassador Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona Presents "The World from the Perspective of Sri Lanka"

Online, October 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Former Secretary to Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the current Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, will share his expertise and unique perspectives on world events and issues as part of the International Initiatives Committee's Ambassador Series on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, at 10:45 a.m. in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom in the Ruth S. Harley University Center, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. Dr. Kohona's lecture entitled, "The World from the Perspective of Sri Lanka," is free and open to the public.

Dr. Kohona was a member of the UN General Assembly where he led official-level delegations to a wide range of countries on bilateral matters for four years. Currently, he is co-chair of the UN Ad Hoc Working Group on Marine Resources beyond National Jurisdiction and chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean. Dr. Kohona is also the chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories. Prior to his service with the UN, Dr. Kohona was the secretary-general of Sri Lanka's Government Peace Secretariat. As secretary-general, he participated in peace negotiations in Geneva with a Sri Lankan terrorist group, the Liberation Tigers Tamil Eelam, as well as led the delegation to talks in Oslo.

The International Initiatives Committee is a campus-wide group of faculty, administrators, and students charged with infusing courses and campus events with internationalized content. The IIC allows the University to offer dynamic programs such as its acclaimed Ambassador Series in intimate settings so students, faculty, and the public have the opportunity to hear first-hand, global perspectives on issues of international concern.

For more information about this and other events on campus, please visit adelphi.edu, or call the Cultural Events Hotline at (516) 877-4555.