Rodney Vandergert

Rodney Clement Austen Vandergert (11 May 1935 – 4 May 2009) was a prominent Sri Lankan diplomat and civil servant, who served as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka and Chairman of the Public Service Commission. He had served as Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to People’s Republic of China & Soviet Union.

Rodney Clement Austen Vandergert
Born11 May 1935[1]
Colombo, Ceylon
Died4 May 2009 (aged 73)
Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationRoyal College Colombo,
University of Ceylon,
New York University
OccupationDiplomat
Known forPermanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Sri Lankan Ambassador to People's Republic of China,
Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy,
Sri Lankan Ambassador to Yugoslavia

Education

Vandergert was educated at the Royal College Colombo where he won the Governor-General's prize. He then pursued higher studies at the University of Ceylon graduating with LLB and qualified as an Advocate of the Supreme Court at the Colombo Law College. Later would gain a master's degree in Law from the New York University, specializing in International Public Law.

Diplomatic career

In 1960 he was selected to the Ceylon Overseas Service. After joining the Foreign Service he served in several foreign countries that included United States, Pakistan. Within the foreign ministry he served in several capacities including that of Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director United Nations & Multi Lateral Affairs Division and Director-General Political Affairs. He served as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Canada, Ambassador in Moscow (Soviet Union) with concurrent accredition in Prague, Warsaw,[2] East Berlin [3] and Ambassador in Beijing (People's Republic of China). Thereafter he was appointed to the post of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (known as Foreign Secretary) as the country's most senior diplomat in 1994. At the time he was the second career diplomat to be appointed to this post till then.

After retiring from the foreign service, he served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission from 2002 to 2005 and was a visiting lecturer in International Law at the Law Faculty. He was honorary member of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon. He died in May 2009.[4]

  1. New York State, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1917-1967
  2. Sri Lankan Ambassador to Poland
  3. East Berlin
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Wilhelm Woutersz		 Sri Lankan Ambassador to China
November 12, 1997 – 2000		 Succeeded by
Karunatilaka Amunugama
Preceded by
October 19, 1983: Neville Kanakeratne		 Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Soviet Union
August 7, 1988–March 14, 1991		 Succeeded by
Nissanka Wijeyeratne
Preceded by
Vernon Mendis		 Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada
1980 –1981		 Succeeded by
Ernest Corea
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