RU alumnus elected to chair three organizations based in The Hague

Buddhi Athauda '93, MBA '98

Buddhi Athauda '93, MBA '98

Radford University alumnus Buddhi Athauda '93, MBA '98 currently serves as Sri Lanka's ambassador to the Netherlands and recently was elected to chair three world renowned organizations.

Athauda was unanimously elected by 115 member states to chair the Permanent Court of Arbitration's budget committee and to be chairperson for the 2014 Common Fund for Commodities at the 25th Annual Meeting of Governing Council.

In addition, Athauda was elected to serve as vice chair of the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to Chemical Weapons Convention at the inauguration of sessions at the World Forum in The Hague.

Athauda became Sri Lanka's ambassador to Netherlands in June 2011. His job is to serve as the official representative of Sri Lanka to government institutions in The Hague.

Athauda promotes Sri Lanka's culture, trade and bilateral relations with Netherlands and its people, and represents his country at The Hague's several international justice organizations and to its United Nations delegation.

Among his duties, Athauda serves as a permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which represents approximately 98 percent of the global population and an equal portion of the worldwide chemical industry.

In 2007, Athauda entered the Sri Lankan diplomatic corps as part of the country's delegation to Germany. He served as consul general in Frankfurt, where he represented and promoted Sri Lanka's interests in the six surrounding German states.  

Jan 15, 2014