Gamani Corea facts for kids

Deshamanya Gamani Corea (born November 4, 1925 – died November 3, 2013) was a very important person from Sri Lanka. He was an expert in economics, worked for the government, and was a diplomat. This means he represented his country to other nations.

He served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 1974 to 1984. He was also an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Before that, he was Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the EEC, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. He also held key roles in Sri Lanka, like Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, and Senior Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon.

Gamani Corea's Family Background

Gamani Corea was the son of C.V.S. Corea and Freda Corea. His mother, Freda, was the sister of Sir John Kotelawala, who was a Prime Minister of Ceylon.

His grandfathers were Victor Corea, a freedom fighter from Chilaw, and John Kotelawala Snr. Gamani Corea also had a half-brother named Vijaya Corea and a stepsister named Siva Obeyesekere.

Learning Journey: Gamani Corea's Education

Corea was educated at the Royal College, Colombo.

Dr. Gamani Corea attended both the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and was an Honorary Fellow of the college.

Dr. Gamani Corea was Secretary – General of UNCTAD and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York City.

Gamani Corea began his education at the Royal College, Colombo in Sri Lanka. After that, he started his higher studies at the University of Ceylon in 1944.

From 1945 to 1952, he continued his studies in England. He attended Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Nuffield College, Oxford. He earned two Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees and two Master of Arts (MA) degrees from both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Later, he earned a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) from Oxford.

He also received several special honorary doctorates. These included a doctorate from the University of Nice in France. He also received honorary degrees from the University of Colombo and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka.

Gamani Corea's Professional Career

After his studies, Gamani Corea returned to Sri Lanka. He worked briefly as a Research Officer at the Central Bank of Ceylon. He then went back to Oxford to complete his DPhil.

In 1952, he returned to Sri Lanka and became an economist. From 1952 to 1960, he served as the Director of the Planning Secretariat for the Government of Ceylon. During this time, he was also the Secretary of the National Planning Council.

From 1960 to 1964, he was the Director of Economic Research at the Central Bank. In 1965, he was appointed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs. This was a very important role in the government.

In 1970, he moved back to the Central Bank as its Deputy Governor. He later became the Senior Deputy Governor until 1973. Then, he became Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the European Economic Community, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Working with the United Nations (UN)

Gamani Corea was very involved with the United Nations. From 1965 to 1972, he was a member of the UN Committee on Development Planning. He then became its chairman from 1972 to 1974.

He also chaired an ILO (International Labour Organization) meeting in 1973. He led a UN Planning Mission to British Honduras in 1962. He was a Special Representative for the UN Conference on Human Environment from 1971 to 1972.

In 1981, he was the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Paris. He was also part of UN panels on South Africa and on the link between disarmament and development.

Leading UNCTAD: Secretary-General Role

Gamani Corea became the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on April 5, 1974. He was first appointed by former United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

He was re-appointed three times, serving until the end of 1984. As Secretary-General of UNCTAD, he also held the position of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations until February 1985.

Gamani Corea's Work After the UN

After leaving the United Nations, Gamani Corea continued to be active. He founded the Sri Lanka Economics Association. He also chaired working groups on environment and development for the South Centre.

He held many other important positions. He was the Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka. He was an Honorary Fellow at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He also served as chairman of the Board of Governors for the Institute of Policy Studies.

He was a Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka. He was also a joint patron of the Sri Lanka Economics Association and the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Gamani Corea received several awards for his important work:

• Order of the Yugoslav Flag with sash (First rank) in 1985. This was for promoting understanding between countries.
• The title of Deshamanya from the Government of Sri Lanka in 1986. This is one of the highest national honors in Sri Lanka.
• An Award for International Understanding from the Sahabdeen Foundation.

Honorary Degrees

He also received several honorary degrees from universities:

•  France University of Nice – Doctor (Honoris Causa)
•  Sri Lanka University of Colombo – DLitt (Honoris Causa)
•  Sri Lanka University of Sri Jayewardenepura – DSc(Honoris Causa)

See also

• Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats
• List of Sri Lankan non-career Permanent Secretaries