IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama, moderated a session on "Identifying the Linkages between Preferential Trade Arrangements and Inclusive Trade: Revisiting the Literature" at the Regional Dialogue on Enhancing the Contribution of Preferential Trade Agreements to Inclusive and Equitable Trade.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama delivered the keynote address at the “International Conference on Economics and Development 2017”, organized by the Department of Business Economics, University of Sri Jayawardenapura, together with ICED and the International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM).

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama, made a presentation on ‘Opportunities for Intra-Commonwealth Trade’ at the High Level Panel on Opportunities in Intra-Commonwealth Trade at the first India-Commonwealth SME Trade Summit, on 30-31 May 2017, in New Delhi, India.

Towards a Sri Lankan Model of Development: A Collection of Writings (1975-2015) by Godfrey Gunatilleke was launched at the BMICH on 24 May 2017, amidst a large gathering.

Albert Chua, Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Chandra Das, High Commissioner of Singapore to Sri Lanka and other members of the team visited the IPS on 03 May 2017 and met the IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama participated as a panelist at the High-Level Dialogue on Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration for Enhancing Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, organized by UN ESCAP, on 20-21 April 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama participated as a panelist at the Sri Lanka Investment Summit, organized by Finance Asia, held on 16-17 March 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Hong Kong.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama was the Chief Guest at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) Convocation 2017 held on 02 March 2017 at the SLIIT Auditorium.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama delivered the 27th J.E. Jayasuriya memorial lecture on 13th February 2017 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.

IPS Executive Director, Dr Saman Kelegama delivered the keynote address on the topic: “Relevance of Statistics for the Socio-Economic Development of a Country” at the 5th Annual Sessions of the Institute of Applied Statistics of Sri Lanka.

IPS Executive Director made a presentation on the “Economic Implications of the Budget Proposals 2017” at a seminar on “Budget Highlights 2017 – Tax Proposals and Impact on Business” organized by the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants of Sri Lanka, at the Grand Marquee, Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo, 15 November 2016.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama Delivered the keynote address at iPURS 2016, the Annual International Research Sessions of the University of Peradeniya, hosted by the Faculty of Dental Sciences held on 4th and 5th November 2016.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama briefed the EU Parliamentary delegation on the progress that has been made since the submission of the Sri Lankan application to regain GSP-Plus scheme.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was a panellist at a high-level symposium on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, organized by the UNDP in Colombo.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was the guest speaker at a forum organized by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) between India and Sri Lanka.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama made a presentation on “The 21st Century Maritime Silk Route and Sri Lankan Development” and participated in the discussions at the Second Symposium on the Maritime Silk Road and China-Sri Lanka Economic Relations.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama participated in the 4th China-South Asia Think Tank Forum in Kunming, China during 12-13 June 2016.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama participated in the First Think Tank Forum of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road organized by the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies during 10-11 May 2016.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was a part of the Sri Lankan delegation, which represented the 12th US - Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council Meeting in Washington, which adopted a path breaking Action Plan to boost bilateral trade and investment.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama made a special address on “BIMSTEC Rejuvenation” at the International Conference on “BIMSTEC at 20: Agenda for 2017 and Beyond”.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegma delivered the keynote address at the Sixth Asian Development Forum which was held in Colombo under the theme of “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Voice from Asia”.

IPS Executive Director participated in the IMF Forum on “Advancing Asia: Investing in the Future” organized by the IMF in Delhi, India during 11-13 March 2016.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama addressing the First SANEM Annual Economists’ Conference 2016 held in Bangladesh emphasized that implementing the unfinished agendas of the existing programmes like SAFTA and SATIS and activating the much discussed SAARC Investment Agreement will contribute to deeper economic integration of the region.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was a discussant at the launch of two World Bank studies; the Sri Lanka Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) and the Sri Lanka Poverty Assessment (SLPA) held on February 16, 2016 at Ape Gama, Jana Kala Kendraya in Battaramulla.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama spoke at the opening Session of the South Asia Federation of Accountants Conference 2016 held at Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, Pakistan, during 29-30 January 2016.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was a panelist at a dialogue on ‘Macroeconomic and Political Analysis’ organized by the Asia Securities and Verite Research.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama Chaired a Panel discussion on “Sustainable Approaches to Economic Development” organized by the Presidential Secretariat at Hilton Hotel, Colombo on 19th January.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama delivered the keynote address at the 4th International Conference of the Sri Lanka Forum of University Economists on the theme “Inclusive Growth towards Economic Transformation”.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was the Chief Guest and delivered the Keynote Address at the Second Annual Research Day of at the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardenapura on 20th November 2015.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama made a presentation on “SMEs as a Tool to Promote Financial Inclusion” at the Regional Conference on “Income Inequality and Financial Inclusion in Asia:

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama made a presentation on “SMEs as a Tool to Promote Financial Inclusion” at the Regional Conference on “Income Inequality and Financial Inclusion in Asia:

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama made a presentation on “South-South Trade: Trends, Patterns, and Determinants – Issues on Methodology” at a “Brainstorming Meeting on Methodology and Research on South –South and Triangular Cooperation”.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama was a panelist at the Regional Seminar on “Unlocking the Potential of Regional Integration in South Asia: Priorities for the Islamabad Summit”.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegma made the keynote address at a seminar on ‘Liberalization of Professional Services, Challenges & Opportunities, Risks & Safeguards’, organized the by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICA Sri Lanka)

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama was invited to the 3rd China-South Asia Think-Tank Forum in Kunming, China in June 2015. Dr. Kelegama made a presentation on “Challenges and Opportunities along the Belt and Road” and was a Discussant to the Session on “Regional Integration and the Silk Route” at the two day forum.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama addressed The Management Club (TMC), Colombo branch on the ‘Current State of the Sri Lankan Economy’, in the presence of a professional audience from the corporate sector. In 2009 too, Dr. Kelegama made a presentation at TMC at an event held in Negombo.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama was a speaker at the session on “Regional Development Cooperation and Partnerships” at the Asia-Pacific High-Level Consultation on Financing for Development organized by the UN-ESCAP, ADB, ADBI and the Government of Indonesia.

IPS Executive Director Dr. Saman Kelegama delivered a lecture on the “Sri Lankan Economy: Risks and Challenges to the Financial Institutions” at a forum held in Colombo.

IPS Executive Director, Dr. Saman Kelegama, was among the panellists at a recently held seminar on the new Government’s Interim Budget’s Tax Proposals and Impact on Business.

Executive Director was a Panelist at the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants (CMA) and the Institute of Certified Professional Managers (CPM) to commemorate the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter Day,

Executive Director Chaired a Session on “WTO in the Post-Bali Phase: Whither LDC Issues ?” and was a Panelist at the Session “Participating in Global Value Chains:

Sri Lanka Economic Association, honoured its immediate Past President, Dr. Saman Kelegama with the conferment of "Honorary Fellow" of the Association in recognition of his contribution to advancement of national development and SLEA.

Executive Director’s presentation on ‘International Trade Research Agenda advances over the Last Decade and ARTNeT’ provided the setting for the rest of the deliberations of the Conference.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Financial Inclusion in Sri Lanka: Issues and Challenges” at the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka, Bank of Ceylon Auditorium, Colombo, on 9th September 2014.

Executive Director made a presentation on the topic: “What will it take Sri Lanka to Build a World Class Export Economy?

Executive Director made a presentation on “Win-Win Economic Cooperation: Initiatives and Measures – Investment and Finance Cooperation in South Asia” at the CASS Forum 2014 on the theme “China and its Neighbouring Countries:

Executive Director made a presentation on ‘Regional and Global Approaches to Trade Agreements’ at the Second Asian Think Tank Summit on the theme “Promoting Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration” at the ADBI, Tokyo, Japan during 20-22 May 2014

Executive Director made a presentation on “China as a Balancer in South Asia: An Economic Perspective” at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 7th May 2014. An interactive dialogue took place after the presentation.

Executive Director made a presentation on “WTO Trade in Services Negotiations: Current State of Play and Implications for Developing Countries” and Chaired the Sessions on “NAMA:

Executive Director made a presentation on “Financial Inclusion, Regulation, and Education : The Case of Sri Lanka” at the International Conference on “Financial Inclusion, Regulation and Education” organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, Japan on 23rd April 2014.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Trade, Investment and Political Linkages between Africa and Indian Ocean States” and Chaired a Session on

Executive Director was invited to speak on ‘Regional Integration Issues in SAARC and the Way Forward to the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) in its Financing Activities’ at the SDF Brainstorming Workshop organized by the SDF Secretariat in Thimpu, Bhutan.

Executive Director addressed the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce (HDCC) - 20th Anniversary celebrations at Sri Lanka Singapore Conference Hall, Siribopura, Hambantota on 27th January 2014. He spoke on the theme: “Highlights of Two Decades of Achievements and Lessons for Other Districts Chambers”.

Executive Director made a presentation on the ‘Implications of the 2014 Budget on the Banking and Financial Sector in Sri Lanka’ at the Post Budget Forum organized by the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka at the HNB Auditorium on 9th December 2013.

Executive Director chaired a Session on “Manufacturing and Services” and was a Panelist to a Session on “Strategizing for Exports”

xecutive Director participated at the International Conference organized by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers, during 12th – 13th September 2013. The theme of the conference was “Managing Enterprises: Challenges and Opportunities”.

Executive Director of the IPS made a presentation on “China-South Asia Regional Economic Cooperation” at the first China-South Asia Think-Tank Forum organized by the Yunnan Academy of Social Science in Kunming, China during 5-7 June 2013.

Executive Director of the IPS delivered the 11th Sivagananathan Memorial Oration organized by the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka and the K.Sivagananathan Memorial Trust at the Bank of Ceylon Auditorium on 6th March 2013.

Executive Director participated in the Session sponsored by the IDRC on ‘Think Tanks: Promoting Local Solutions, Influencing Global Thinking’ which was chaired by Dr. Peter Taylor of the TTI-IDRC.

Executive Director was a speaker at the launch of the book, ‘Regional Economic Integration: Challenges for South Asia during Turbulent Times’ at the Everest Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal on 5th October 2012.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Regional Integration: Implications and Policy Constraints” and was a panelist for a presentation on “Potential Intra-Regional Trade in Leather:

Executive Director made a presentation on ‘Regional Economic Integration and Connectivity in the SSWA’ and chaired a session on ‘Food Security and Agriculture in the SSWA Region’ at the Expert Group Meeting on ‘Inclusive Development and Regional Cooperation in SSWA’ organized by the UN-ESCAP SRO for SSWA, ESCAP-SRO Office, Delhi, India during 30-31 July 2012.

Executive Director delivered a lecture on the “Middle East Crisis and its Impact on Global Trade” at the 5th CEO's Meeting of the Regional Group of the Berne Union, at Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana on 21st July 2012.

Executive Director spoke on the “Importance of Overseas Employment and Remittances for the Sri Lankan Economy” at a Regional Consultation on Welfare & Protection of Migrant Workers organized by the Ministry of Foreign Employment

Executive Director made a presentation on ‘Trade Liberalization and Consumer Welfare in South Asia’ at a seminar on ‘Cost of Non-Cooperation to Consumers in South Asia’ organized by CUTS, SAWTEE, The Asia Foundation and the Commonwealth Secretariat, Himalaya Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal, 3-4 February.

Executive Director was a Special Guest at the 18th Annual General Meeting of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka which was held at Colombo Hilton on 10th January. Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Director General of Commerce also participated in the meeting

Executive Director made a presentation on: ‘Socio-Economic Challenges of Post-conflict Reconstruction in Sri Lanka’ at a seminar on ‘Post-conflict Sri Lanka

Executive Director made a presentation on “Chinese Engagement with SAARC: Priorities and Possibilities in Trade and Investment” at the International Conference on “China-SAARC

Executive Director was Speaker/Panelist at the Seminar and Panel Discussion on ‘Middle East Crisis and its Effect on Sri Lanka’

Executive Director chaired the session on ‘ODA and Productive Development Capacity’ at the ‘International Dialogue on Exploring a New Partnership for the LDCs in the Context of the UN LDC IV’, Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, Bangladesh, 24-26 November 2010.

Executive Director was a Resource Person to two sessions at the International Conference on 'SAARC @ 25' organized by the India International Centre (IIC) and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, and the SAARC Secretariat.

Executive Director was a part of the Sri Lankan delegation for the Tenth IOR-ARC Ministerial meeting at Sana’a, Yemen, during 31 July- 5 August, 2010.

Executive Director was invited as a Resource Person for the WTO Regional Trade Policy Course at the National University of Singapore during 5-6 July 2010.

Executive Director met the IMF Chief, Dominique Strauss-Khan, when he visited the IMF for the 2010 Spring Meeting during 21-26 April, 2010.

Executive Director and Athula Senaratne participated in the South Asian Civil Society Consultations on Trade, Climate Change and Food Security Agenda for Copenhagen, organized by SAWTEE, CANSA, and Oxfam Novib, Kathmandu, Nepal, 9-11 September 2009.

Executive Director made a presentation on ‘Economic Development and Reconstruction of the North-East: Problems and Prospects’ at a two day seminar on “From Winning the War to Winning Peace:

Executive Director was a Special Guest at the 18th Annual General Meeting of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka which was held at Colombo Hilton on 10th January. Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Director General of Commerce also participated in the meeting

ED made a presentation on the 'Importance of Value Addition for the Export Sector' at a one day symposium organized by the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka Tea Board on 25th June 2009.

Executive Director was a Special Guest at the 18th Annual General Meeting of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka which was held at Colombo Hilton on 10th January. Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Director General of Commerce also participated in the meeting

Executive Director delivered the introductory speech at the National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA) Workshop on ‘SME Policy Development in Sri Lanka’.

Executive Director addressed the 9th Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (Sri Lanka Region) on the theme: "Have Tough Times Cursed Your Marketing Plan?: Unconventional Marketing Strategies to Survive Turbulent Times".

Executive Director delivered the key note address on “Role of Non-State Actors in Enhancing Regional Economic Cooperation in South Asia

Executive Director made a presentation on the “Global Economic Crisis and its Impact on Asia” and chaired a session on “Food Security in Asia” at the 2nd Asia Media Conference (http://www.theasiamediaforum.org/node/1044) on the theme: “Media in the Time of Crisis” held in Bangkok, Thailand, during 25-27 March, 2009.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Deepening South Asian Integration in an Era of Crisis: Role of SAARC” at the High-Level Conference on “Financial Crisis

Executive Director spoke at the session on ‘Future Work on a Southern Agenda on Global Trade Governance’ at the conference on “Mainstreaming International Trade into National Development: Some Perspectives from South Asia”

Executive Director spoke on “Vision for New South Asia” at the International Conference on “Development, Freedom and Welfare” in Honour of Professor Amartya Sen.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Reducing Regional Disparities through Regional Integration” at the ARTNeT-PEP Policy Forum on “Trade, Investment and Domestic Policy Coherence for Inclusive Growth” at the Dustin Thani Hotel, Manila, Philippines, 9 December, 2008.

Executive Director made a presentation on “SAARC Energy Cooperation: Energy Security and Environment Challenges” in the 7th seminar under the SAARC Seminar Series held at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Singapore, on 28 November, 2008.

Executive Director addressed the 9th Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (Sri Lanka Region) on the theme: "Have Tough Times Cursed Your Marketing Plan?: Unconventional Marketing Strategies to Survive Turbulent Times".

Executive Director made a presentation on “Regional Economic Cooperation in South Asia: Challenges and Prospects” at the Second South Asia Conference organized by the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and ICRIER on the theme:

Executive Director Chaired the Session on “SAARC Initiatives for Food Security” at the South Asia Civil Society Forum on “Responding to Food Insecurity in South Asia” organized by SAWTEE, CUTS, and OXFAM, Park Village Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal, 23-24 October, 2008.

Executive Director addressed the OPA on the proposed India-Sri Lanka CEPA on 15 September, 2008. Dr. H. N. Tenuwara (Central Bank of Sri Lanka) and Dr. Bandual Perera (former BOI) were the other speakers.

Executive Director presented a paper on “South Asian Regionalism: A Sri Lankan Perspective” at an international conference on “Does South Asia Exist?

The Executive Director was interviewed by the Nation newspaper on Sri Lanka’s agricultural trade policy in the context of the global food crisis.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Sri Lanka’s Interests in Reforming Global Trade Governance” at the “South Asia Regional Dialogue on Global Economic Governance and Trade” co-organized by ICRIER, GEG, HEI and EDGE, India International Centre, New Delhi, India, 29 April, 2008.

Executive Director made a presentation on “India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Free Trade Agreement: The Sri Lankan Perspective” at a regional seminar on “Bilateral FTAs, RTAs and Unilateral Liberalization:

Executive Director participated in the “7 th Executive Council and Board Meetings of the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS)” at the SACEPS Head Office, Kathmandu , Nepal , during 1-2 February 2008.

Executive Director participated in the conference on “Making Smart Policy: Using Impact Evaluation for Policy Making” held at the Preston Auditorium, the World Bank, Washington, D.C. during 15-16 January.

Executive Director chaired a session on “Regional Cooperation and South-South Trade” at a UNDP Regional Training Workshop on “Doha and Beyond: Incorporating Human Development into Trade Negotiations”, Penang, Malaysia during 17-18 December, 2007.

Executive Director made a presentation on “Assessing Impacts of Preferential Trade Agreements” at the Research Workshop on “Emerging Trade Issues for Developing Countries in Asia-Pacific Region”

The Economic Governance Index by the Asia Foundation (Colombo Office) in partnership with AusAID and DFID was launched at the King’s Court, Trans Asia Hotel, Colombo on 13 November, 2007.

Executive Director was a panelist at a seminar on “How Competitive is Sri Lanka for Business” organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) on 1 November, 2007.

Executive Director made a presentation on “The Ending of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement and Innovation in the Textile and Clothing Industry in Sri Lanka” at the “OECD Global Forum on Trade

Executive Director addressed the 15th Annual National Export Awards event organized by the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka in his capacity as the Chairman, Panel of Judges for the Export Awards.

Executive Director delivered a lecture on “Sustaining the Growth Process in Sri Lanka” at the British Scholars' Association of Sri Lanka, British Council, Colombo on 10 September and delivered a lecture on “Is the Sri Lankan Economy in Crisis?” under the Guest Lecture Series, Department of Economics, University of Colombo on 12 September 2007.

Executive Director made a presentation on “An Economist’s Perspective on the Current Interest and Exchange Rates: Impact on the Economy” at a seminar on “Interest and Exchange Rates: Impact on the Economy” organized by the Society of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka at the Taj Samudra Hotel on 6 September, 2007.

Executive Director chaired a lecture on “Public Expenditure Analysis: Balancing Markets and Government Failures” by Shantayanan Deverajan, Chief Economist for South Asia at the World Bank at the Senate Room of the University of Colombo on 23 August, 2007.

Executive Director chaired the session on “Infrastructure and Land Use” at the Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Economic Association on the theme “Inequity, Poverty and Development.

Executive Director gave a lecture on “Role of the Private Sector/Chambers in Stimulating Regional Economic Growth” at the National Conference on “Policy Constraints, Regulatory Barriers, and Regional Economic Development” organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka at the Hotel Galadari, Colombo on 26 June, 2007.

Executive Director gave a lecture on “SAARC: Recent Trends and Developments” at a seminar organized by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS), Colombo on 26 June, 2007.

The Executive Director was interviewed by the Centre for Trade and Development (CENTAD), New Delhi, India, on how South Asian countries can benefit from trade in services.

Executive Director will serve as the Head of the Panel of Judges for the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) 15th Annual Export Awards scheduled on the 28th September 2007.

The International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Kandy (ICES) and the Japan Foundation, New Delhi, organized a Round Table Discussion on Japan and South Asia:

Executive Director delivered the keynote address at the first meeting of the General Body of the Industrial Relations Forum of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) on 23 February, 2007 at the JAIC Hilton, Colombo.

Sunday Island, 10 December, 2006 - Dr. N.M.Perera is a colossal figure in the Sri Lankan political sphere. Among his many roles, the role he played as the Minister of Finance during the periods 1964/65 and 1970-75 stands prominently.

Executive Director participated in the 6th Board Meeting of the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) at the SACEPS Head Office in Kathmandu, Nepal on 22 September, and made a presentation on "Deepening Economic Integration in South Asia" at a SACEPS seminar on 23 September at Yak and Yeti Hotel, Kathmandu.

When the Uruguay Round became a fait accompli and knowledge about the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was little, a common position for South Asian countries in the WTO looked ideal.

Executive Director made a presentation on “From Doha to Hong Kong: WTO and Sri Lanka” at the Technical Session I on “Multilateral Trading System and the Regional Trading Blocks” at the Annual Sessions of the SLEA held at the BMICH, Colombo, during 28-29 July, 2006.

Singer (Sri Lanka) Ltd announced the appointment of two Non-Executive Directors- Ajit Jayaratne and Dr. Saman Kelegama to its Board of Directors with effect from June 1, 2006 (Daily News, 20 June, 2006)

Executive Director was inducted as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka (NASSL) at the 27th Annual General Meeting of the Academy held on 17 June, 2006 at the SLAAS Auditorium.

Dr. Saman Kelegama presented the first copy of the book “Contemporary Economic Issues in Sri Lanka in the Global Context” compiled from weekly commentaries on economic issues published in the Sunday Island in 2005 and 2006, to President His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees. (Daily News, 27 May, 2006)

A book authored by the Executive Director based on a compilation of 40 essays which he wrote to theSunday Island during 2005-06 was launched recently. A review of the book was made by Nimal Sanderatne, Honarary Fellow, SLEA, at the launch ceremony which was organized by the SLEA at the OPA Auditorium, Colombo.