Mahinda Samarasinghe

January 30, 1956

He is the current Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training in President Maithripala Sirisena"s Government, and Sri Lanka Freedom Party chief organiser for the Agalawatte Electorate in Kalutara District. Samarasinghe co-chairs the Permanent Standing Committee on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, the other chair being Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera. Having joined the Sri Lanka Overseas Service, he served as the First Secretary to the Sri Lanka High Commission in Australia and as Counselor for the Sri Lankan Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva during the 1980s. He has represented Sri Lanka at the International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, International Telecommunication Union and the World Meteorological Organization. While working at the Sri Lanka Mission in Geneva, he represented Sri Lanka at almost all of the Governing Body meetings of the International Labor Organization in 1986 and 1987, as well as the International Labour Conference (International Language Center) from 1985–1987. At the end of the 1987 International Language Center, he successfully presented a draft resolution on ‘Workers Housing," which was adopted at the conference. As co-chair of the Permanent Standing Committee on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, Samarasinghe works in close cooperation with several United Nations Organisations including the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), United Nations Development Programme (United Nations Development Programme), United Nations Children"s Fund (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) and International Labour Organization (International Labor Organization), as well as other international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to continue Sri Lanka"s endeavors to rehabilitate and re-integrate citizens from the country"s formerly war-torn areas. In 1994 he was elected to parliament from the Kalutara district, and was re-elected in subsequent elections held in 2000, 2001,2004 and 2010. During the period 2001 - 2004, he served as the Cabinet Minister of Employment and Labour. He was the Government Chief Whip from 2001–2004 and the Opposition Chief Whip from 2004 - 2006. He had also served as Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights from 2006 - 2010. He was a member in the Parliamentary Consultative Committees of the Ministries of Trade, Commerce, Industries, Finance and Foreign Affairs.

Mahinda Samarasinghe

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Diplomat politician

Education

Mahinda Samarasinghe completed a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) degree at, Melbourne, Australia.

Career

He is the current Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training in President Maithripala Sirisena"s Government, and Sri Lanka Freedom Party chief organiser for the Agalawatte Electorate in Kalutara District. Samarasinghe co-chairs the Permanent Standing Committee on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, the other chair being Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera. Having joined the Sri Lanka Overseas Service, he served as the First Secretary to the Sri Lanka High Commission in Australia and as Counselor for the Sri Lankan Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva during the 1980s.

He has represented Sri Lanka at the International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, International Telecommunication Union and the World Meteorological Organization.

While working at the Sri Lanka Mission in Geneva, he represented Sri Lanka at almost all of the Governing Body meetings of the International Labor Organization in 1986 and 1987, as well as the International Labour Conference (International Language Center) from 1985–1987. At the end of the 1987 International Language Center, he successfully presented a draft resolution on ‘Workers Housing," which was adopted at the conference.

As co-chair of the Permanent Standing Committee on Human Rights in Sri Lanka, Samarasinghe works in close cooperation with several United Nations Organisations including the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), United Nations Development Programme (United Nations Development Programme), United Nations Children"s Fund (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) and International Labour Organization (International Labor Organization), as well as other international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to continue Sri Lanka"s endeavors to rehabilitate and re-integrate citizens from the country"s formerly war-torn areas. In 1994 he was elected to parliament from the Kalutara district, and was re-elected in subsequent elections held in 2000, 2001,2004 and 2010.

During the period 2001 - 2004, he served as the Cabinet Minister of Employment and Labour.

He was the Government Chief Whip from 2001–2004 and the Opposition Chief Whip from 2004 - 2006. He had also served as Cabinet Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights from 2006 - 2010. He was a member in the Parliamentary Consultative Committees of the Ministries of Trade, Commerce, Industries, Finance and Foreign Affairs.

Politics

Samarasinghe entered active politics in 1988 and was elected to the Provincial Council of the Western Province, where he served as the Leader of the House of the Provincial Council and the Provincial Minister of Health and Economic Infrastructure. Samarasinghe joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 2006 and is the Sri Lanka Freedom Party chief organiser for the Agalawatta Electorate in Kalutara District.

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