Ambassador Saroja Sirisena presents credentials to UNIDO

Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Austria Saroja Sirisena presented Letters of Credence to United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Director General Li Yong on 17 September, at the Vienna International Centre, accrediting her as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to UNIDO.   

During the discussion, the Permanent Representative highlighted important work such as promoting industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive development, and environment sustainability carried out by UNIDO under the guidance of the Director General. Ambassador Sirisena further appreciated the work accomplished by UNIDO in Sri Lanka, to encourage industrial development by safeguarding the environment and advancing economic competitiveness.  

Director General Li expressed great satisfaction on the level of commitment extended by Sri Lanka to UNIDO. He further emphasised the importance of ongoing projects conducted by UNIDO on a large scale, covering the areas of capacity building, traditional food processing, and environmentally-friendly management of chemical wastage. He further pointed out the value of a strong partnership with the organisation and the impact on sustainable economic and social development in Sri Lanka.

Ambassador Sirisena highlighted the significance of Sri Lanka’s involvement in future UNIDO activities, and reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to the work of the Organization.

Saroja Sirisena joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998, and served as Director General Economic Affairs, Director General Public Diplomacy and the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately prior to her appointment in Vienna.

In her diplomatic career, she served as the Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai from 2014-2018, and held positions at Sri Lanka Missions in Geneva, Brussels and Paris.

She is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and has completed postgraduate studies at the École Nationale d’Administration in France. She is a past pupil of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.   

The ceremony was attended by Sri Lanka Mission Second Secretary Mahesh Mahakumarage and Attaché Asanka Weerasingha, and UNIDO Director (External Relations and Policy) Research Kai Bethke, Director (Programs, Partnerships and Filed Integration) Ciyong Zou and Program Officer (Asia and the Pacific) Prakash Chandra Mishra.