Mr. Waruna Wilpatha
Director - Education, Security & Culture (ESC)
Mr. Waruna Wilpatha joined the SAARC Secretariat on 4th September 2025.
Prior to this appointment, he held several senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, including Director General/Africa Affairs, Director General/Economic Affairs, Director General/South East and Central Asia, and Director General/Human Resources and Mission Management. He has also served in a number of other key divisions of the Ministry, including Consular Affairs, Overseas Administration, United Nations and Multilateral Affairs, the Americas, Protocol, and Europe.
A career Foreign Service Officer since 1998, Mr. Waruna Wilpatha has represented Sri Lanka in several diplomatic Missions abroad. His overseas assignments include serving as Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Israel, Acting High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Canada, and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. in Cuba. Earlier in his diplomatic career, he also served in Sri Lanka’s Missions in Germany and Russia.
He has studied International Relations at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and has pursued further studies and professional training in Japan, the Netherlands and the United States.
Mr. Waruna Wilpatha is married to Ms. Manjula Girihagama, Attorney-at-Law.
