Awarding SLEA Honorary Fellowship

Dr. Upananda Vidanapathirana

In continuation of adhering to its traditions and high standard of professional ethics, the Council of the Sri Lanka Economic Association (SLEA) is proud to announce its nomination of the distinguished immediate past President Dr. Upananda Vidanapathirana for an Honorary Fellowship, in accordance with Section 3.1 of the By-Laws on awarding SLEA Fellowships.

Accordingly, the General Secretary of the SLEA declared, he had the great honour of reading the citation pertaining to the awarding of the SLEA Fellowship to Dr. Upananda Vidanapathirana at the 34th Annual Session held on 29 September 2022.

This prestigious Honorary Fellowship, initiated in 2004, has hitherto been awarded to Dr. Gamini Corea, Dr. Jayantha Kelegama, Dr. H.N.S. Karunatilake, Prof. Buddhdas Hewawithrana, Prof. A.D.V.de S. Indraratne, Dr. Nimal Sanderatne, A.S. Jayawardana and Dr. Saman Kelegama.

SLEA Member Dr. Upananda Vidanapathirana since its inception has contributed immensely to upkeep its traditions and recognition as the premium association in the field of Economics. He is well equipped with an extensive experience in the field of economic research, policy advice and policy implementation. He has been actively involved in serving the economy in varying capacities at national level for more than three decades.

He joined the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as a young Economist in 1974 and moved up in ranks to become Senior Economist, Deputy Director in the Economic Research Department, and Additional Director/Director in the Departments of Banking, Currency, and Public Debt. He retired from the Central Bank as an Assistant Governor. Dr. Vidanapathirana held senior positions in several Ministries, Statutory Boards, and Institutions over three decades from 1998 to 2019. In recognition of his deep knowledge, skills, and exceptional talents, the then Government decided to obtain his services in the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, and Plantations in 1998 and he was assigned the responsibility of Director General, Planning and Development.

Thereafter, he functioned as the Secretary of key Ministries of Industries 2001-2004, of Industry, Investment Promotion and Tourism 2004-2005, of Disaster Management 2005-2006, and of Internal Administration 2006-2010 for nearly a decade.

He has also served several Boards/Institutions including the Plantation Housing and Social Welfare Trust (PHSWT), (1998-2001,) Textile Quota Board (TQB) (2004-2005), Textile Training and Services Centre (TT&SC) and Clothing Industry Training Institute (CITI) (2004-2005) as the Chairman.

Dr. Vidanapathirana has made a substantial contribution as a Board Member of Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA) – University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka (1998-2001), Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (CARP) (1999-2002), Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Research and Training Institute of Sri Lanka (HARTI) (1999-2001), Tea Research Board of Sri Lanka (TRB) (1998-2001) and Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (2007-2010).

He has served on Presidential Commissions, Committees and Cabinet-appointed committees. To mention a few, Presidential Commission of inquiry on Trade and Tariff (1996-1998) and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (1996-2019), Presidential Committees on Evaluation of the performance of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission (1989) and Evaluation of the Performance of the Export Development Board (1990).

He has contributed to numerous research publications and academic journals and attended several international and national conferences as Head of the Sri Lanka Delegation and chairing them.

Dr. Vidanapathirana got his academic skills in Economics sharpened in the University of Colombo with his B. A (Hons) and B. Phil degrees, and the prestigious University of Sussex with M. Phil and D. Phil. degrees in Economics. His professional qualifications have been acquired from several prestigious institutions around the world, including the International Monetary Fund and the Harvard University in the United States of America.

Dr. Vidanapathirana has been a member of SLEA from its inception in 1985. He was unanimously elected as the President of SLEA in 2016 and served in that position until 2021 spearheading several activities including the first ever joint event with Asian Development Bank, Manila launching its latest publication titled “The Sri Lankan Economy: Charting a New Course” at the SLEA Annual Sessions 2017 and strengthening the financial standing of the SLEA to new heights by creation of revenue generating activities of the association.

Furthermore, he embarked on creating novel programs such as the establishment of SLEA Professional Diploma in Economics for Business and the first virtual SLEA annual sessions and monthly seminars, while also maintaining academic and professional excellence and financial stability.

The Council of Management has the pleasure and honour of announcing the awarding of this rare and exceptional honour on Dr. Upananda Vidanapathirana in 2022 as a tribute to his contributions to the economic field, academic and professional advances, contribution to SLEA, and services to the country and the society.