Aruni Wijewardane assumed duties as the new Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Ministry today (23), the Ministry said.

They said the appointment as the Secretary was made with effect from May 20.

After a simple ceremony following the assumption of duties, Foreign Secretary Wijewardane addressed the staff and officials of the Ministry.

She has served in the Sri Lanka Foreign Service for 34 years, holding numerous positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo, Sri Lankan Missions overseas, and international organizations.

Her service overseas includes the Sri Lanka's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, the Sri Lankan High Commission in Malaysia and the Sri Lankan Embassy in the Philippines.

She also served as the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Austria and the Permanent Representative to UN Organizations in Vienna.

On secondment from the Foreign Ministry, Aruni Wijewardane also served as the Director of the Secretariat of the policy making organs of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

Foreign Secretary Wijewardane has an MPhil. degree from the University of Cambridge, UK, where she was a British Chevening Scholar, a Master’s degree from the University of Colombo; and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Australia. She is married and a mother two children.