April 24, Colombo (LNW): Yasoja Gunasekera, a seasoned figure in Sri Lanka’s diplomatic service, officially commenced her tenure this week as the country’s new High Commissioner to Australia, marking the start of a fresh chapter in Colombo’s bilateral engagement with Canberra.
In a brief address to the staff upon assuming office, Gunasekera reaffirmed the priorities of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy agenda, placing strong emphasis on the deep-rooted and cooperative relationship between the two nations.
She outlined a forward-looking approach aimed at invigorating longstanding ties, particularly in areas such as tourism, trade, and investment.
Highlighting the growing importance of people-to-people connections, she called for a reinvigorated effort to promote cultural exchanges and closer community engagement, with the well-being of the Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia identified as a central concern.
In her remarks, she stressed that effective teamwork within the diplomatic mission would be crucial in delivering on these ambitions and ensuring efficient and responsive consular services.
Gunasekera’s appointment comes at a time when both nations are exploring broader economic partnerships, including educational and technological collaborations.
Australia remains a popular destination for Sri Lankan students and professionals, and the High Commissioner-designate indicated her intention to build on this momentum to foster deeper cooperation.
A career diplomat with nearly three decades of experience, Gunasekera is widely respected within Sri Lanka’s foreign affairs circles. She began her service in 1996, having topped her cohort in the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, and has since held several key diplomatic assignments.
These include serving as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Indonesia and High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and she played a pivotal role in establishing the country’s Consulate General in Guangzhou, China.
Her overseas postings have also included stints in India and the United States, where she represented Sri Lanka in both New York and Washington, D.C. Within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo, her most recent role was as Additional Secretary overseeing portfolios related to East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Gunasekera brings to her new post not only extensive diplomatic experience but also strong academic credentials. She holds a Master’s degree in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University in Australia—a link that offers her unique insight into her host country—and an undergraduate law degree from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. She is also an alumna of C.M.S. Ladies’ College in Colombo.
