Former SAARC Secretary-General Rodrigo passes away

KATHMANDU: Nihal Rodrigo, a former secretary-general of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and a veteran senior Sri Lankan diplomat, has died.

The SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu expressed deep sorrow over his death in a post on its official social media account and extended condolences to his family, the Sri Lankan government and people.

Rodrigo was the sixth secretary-general of SAARC. He headed the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu from January 1, 1999, to January 10, 2002.

There were relatively few journalists covering diplomatic affairs in Kathmandu around 2002. Rodrigo, however, placed considerable importance on the press and worked closely with journalists.  He lobbied for a more responsible role for the SAARC Secretariat rather than allowing it to function merely as a postal service.

Toward the end of his tenure, he played a significant role in preparing for and ensuring the success of the 11th SAARC Summit, held in Kathmandu in January 2002. In an interview at the time, he stressed that the summit should not be reduced to a formal meeting or a photo opportunity.

Rodrigo’s connection with Kathmandu extended beyond his role as head of the SAARC Secretariat. Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, he attended Trinity College, Kandy, where he also learned Kandyan dance. He later recalled that the experience proved useful in his diplomatic career.

After graduating, Rodrigo taught English at the University of Peradeniya, teaching students from Sinhala- and Tamil-medium backgrounds during the 1960s. He briefly taught at Trinity College before joining the Sri Lanka Foreign Service. He later emerged as one of the country’s prominent diplomats.

A member of the 1965 diplomatic batch, Rodrigo had a distinguished career, holding several challenging and important positions at Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry. He served as SAARC secretary-general from 1999 to 2002 and subsequently as Sri Lanka’s foreign secretary from 2003 to 2004.

He then served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to China until 2007. During that period, he was also accredited to North Korea and Mongolia. Several important developments were associated with his tenure, including the early work on Hambantota Port, the performing arts center, the launch of SriLankan Airlines flights to China and military cooperation.

He also facilitated visits to China by two Sri Lankan presidents, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa, further establishing his reputation as a successful diplomat in Sri Lanka and the wider region.

Rodrigo served as Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the United Nations three times in New York and once in Geneva. He also served as an adviser to the president on foreign relations.

He was a member of the UN secretary-general’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and played an important role in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). During Sri Lanka’s chairmanship of the movement, he served in a coordinating role and chaired the political committee of the 11th NAM Summit.

Having held senior positions involving South Asia, the United Nations and other international affairs, Rodrigo was regarded as one of the region’s accomplished diplomats. He remained active in regional diplomacy after retiring from SAARC.

He contributed as a visiting professor of international relations at Sri Lanka’s Defence Services Command and Staff College, the University of Colombo and the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute. He also served as a board member of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies.

Rodrigo also worked on analytical issues related to Indian Ocean security and Sri Lanka’s relations with its neighbors.

With Rodrigo’s death, Sri Lanka and South Asian diplomacy have lost an experienced and influential diplomat who brought decades of knowledge and experience in regional cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement and multilateral diplomacy.