National Security Conclave - 2023
May 09, 2023The Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) Sri Lanka, which is the premier think tank on National Security, functioning under the Ministry of Defence, is organizing the third edition of its national conference titled “National Security Conclave 2023” on Wednesday, 17th of May 2023. The event will take place at the auditorium of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Kandawala Estate, Ratmalana. His Excellency the President Ranil Wickremasinghe will be gracing the occasion as the chief guest. The conference will host military officers, law enforcement officers, researchers, academics, think tanks and senior experts from across the country to share their perspectives on three thematic areas.
The First Session, under the theme of “Elimination of Corruption for a Prosperous, Secure and Stable Sri Lanka,” will be moderated by Major General Udaya Perera (Retd) RWP RSP VSV USP USAWC M.Sc. (IND)M.Sc.(USA) NDU-CT (USA) psc (SL) psc (IND), Group Head of Administration, Brandix Lanka Ltd. Three speakers of this session will be Mr. S. Ranugge, Former Secretary to the Ministry of Export Development and International Trade and visiting Lecturer at the University of Colombo, Sri Jayawardhanapura, Open University of Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration. Mr. Ranugge will critically discuss on “Creating a Change in Administrative Systems and the Public Service Culture to Eliminate Corruption.” Mr. Sarath Jayamanne, PC, Former Director-General of Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption, will speak on “The Need for Vibrant and Efficacious Laws and Independent and Efficient Law Enforcement.” Hon. Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, PC, Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, will deliberate on “Maintenance of the Rule of Law and Efficient and Effective Administration of Justice to Combat Corruption.”
The Second Session, under the theme of “Climate, Cyber and Technology: Changing Dimensions in Security,” will be moderated by Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne (Retd.) WV, RWP & Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI, ndc, psn, Former Chief of Defense Staff and Commander of the Navy, Managing Director Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Chairman Trincomalee Petroleum Terminals Ltd. Three speakers of this session will be Senior Prof. Deepthi Wickramasinghe, Department of Zoology and Environment Science, University of Colombo, who will discuss on “Climate Change: Immediate Global Action in this Crucial Decade.” Mr. Indika De Zoysa, Strategic Advisor/Vice President, Huawei Technologies Lanka Co.,(Pvt) Ltd, will speak on “Improving Cyber Resilience and Rapid Response to Enhance Cyber Security.” The third speaker, Senior Prof. Ajith de Alwis, FNASSL, BSc Eng (Hons) Moratuwa, MBA, (PIM-Sri J), PhD (Cambridge), Senior Professor of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa, will discuss “Technologies, Integrated Data, and Analytical Tools for Decision Making.”
The third and final session is themed as "Geopolitics in the New World Era," and will be moderated by Dr. Harinda Vidanage, Head of the Department of Strategic Studies at KDU. Three speakers for this session will include Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman of Pathfinder Foundation, Sri Lanka, who will discuss on "Russia Vs. Ukraine War: Insights and Analysis"; Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinghe, Former Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Former Ambassador to USA, UN in Geneva, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU, will deliberate upon the "Power Struggle in the Indo-Pacific Region: Implications for Sri Lanka"; and finally Professor Chaminda Padmakumara, Head of the Department of International Relations at the University of Colombo, will discuss on "Sri Lanka's Significance in South Asia's Initiatives for Foreign Cooperation." The conference aims to establish a space for military personnel, researchers, academia, government officials, and senior experts from around the country to engage in policy-relevant, problem-solving dialogues concerning different dimensions of national security, and its way forward.