Jayantha Dhanapala

Jayantha Dhanapala "is a former Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs, a position he held between 1998 and 2003. Mr. Dhanapala is on the Advisory Boards of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, the Centre for Non-proliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, on the Governing Board of SIPRI and is the Chairman of the UN University Council. He is also Honorary President of the International Peace Bureau, and served on the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission launched by the Government of Sweden under the Chairmanship of Dr. Hans Blix. He was president of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference. Between 1965 and 1983, he held diplomatic appointments in London, Beijing, Washington, D.C., and New Delhi, in addition to being Director of the NAM Division of the Foreign Ministry. He has held numerous positions with the UN, and in 1997, he joined the Centre for Non-proliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute of International Studies in the USA as Diplomat-in-Residence.

"Following his role of Under-Secretary-General of the UNDDA, Mr. Dhanapala assumed duties as Secretary-General of the Secretariat for the Coordinating of the Peace Process and Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka. Mr. Dhanapala has published four books and several articles in international journals and lectured in many countries."

Now works for the Middle Powers Initiative.


 * President, Pugwash
 * Advisory Board, Global Security Institute
 * Advisory Board, Ploughshares Fund
 * Advisory Council, Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence
 * Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces: International Advisory Board
 * International Board, International Centre for Democratic Transition (accessed Sept 07)
 * International Advisory Board, Freeman-Spogli Institute
 * Commissioner, Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission
 * Governing Board, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
 * Contributor, Humanitad Foundation
 * Board of Sponsors, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
 * International Advisory Board, Geneva Centre for Security Policy
 * Prize Winner (2007), International Peace Bureau