Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, the newly appointed Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland presented his Credentials to the Director General Tatiana Valovaya of the United Nations Office at Geneva on February 17, 2026.
During the discussion which took place following the presentation of Credentials, Ambassador Dassanayake conveyed warm greetings of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath to Director General Valovaya. Referring to Sri Lanka’s longstanding engagement with the UN since becoming a member in 1955, Ambassador Dassanayake further reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment and continued cooperation with the United Nations Office at Geneva and constructive engagement with the United Nations organizations and specialized agencies represented in Geneva in diverse spheres.
Recalling the excellent cooperation between Sri Lanka and UNOG, Director General Valovaya expressed her appreciation for Sri Lanka’s leadership in the organization of International Vesak Day at the UNOG and the first ever celebration of the International Tea Day in 2025. The Director General invited Sri Lanka’s continued engagement and collaboration with new and ongoing initiatives and projects spearheaded by her office.
Ambassador Dassanayake is a senior career diplomat who joined Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1998.
Prior to his appointment as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, he served as the Director General of the Human Resources & Mission Management and Human Resources Development, Training & Research Divisions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism. Ambassador Dassanayake also served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Federative Republic of Brazil, with concurrent accreditation to Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Suriname, and Guyana from 2021 to 2024. He was Sri Lanka’s first Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union Commission with concurrent accreditation to Djibouti, Somalia and South Sudan from 2016 to 2019.
Ambassador Dassanayake has held several key positions in Sri Lanka Overseas Missions during his career including as the Deputy Chief of Mission of Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa as well as in the Sri Lanka Embassy in Oslo and Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission in Chennai. He has also served as the Director General (Political Affairs) Middle East & Africa Division, Director of the South Asia and SAARC Division, Deputy Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in several other posts.
Ambassador Dassanayake holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. He is also an alumnus of the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawaii.
Ambassador Dassanayake is married with a daughter.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN, Geneva
17 February 2026