Sirimal Abeyratne, Amitendu Palit and Elizabeth Ward to Speak on Managing Effective Trade at LKI

August 30, 2018    Reading Time: 2 minutes

Reading Time: 2 min read

Seating is limited and by invitation. To register your interest, please email your name and affiliated organisation to programmes@lki.lk

---

Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) will host a Foreign Policy Round Table entitled ‘Managing Effective Trade – Sri Lanka and International Experiences.’

This round table (supported by The Asia Foundation) featuring Professor Sirimal Abeyratne, Professor of Economics at the University of Colombo; Dr. Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade & Economic Policy) of the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore; and Ms. Elizabeth Ward, Special Negotiator at the Office of Trade Negotiations, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia, will be held on Tuesday, 4 September 2018 from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM at LKI.

Prof. Abeyratne will speak on the economic opportunities and challenges for Sri Lanka’s national trade policy. Dr. Palit will provide an update on Asia’s free trade agreements and discuss possible directions for the future. Ms. Ward will discuss the lessons learnt in negotiating international trade agreements and effective strategies for trade negotiations. This will be followed by a discussion moderated by Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Executive Director (Actg.) of LKI.

Professor Sirimal Abeyratne

Professor Sirimal Abeyratne is a Professor of Economics at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Prof. Abeyratne’s teaching and research interests are in the field of international trade and development. He has published a series of research work in the areas of regional trade, policy reforms and liberalisation, economic dimensions of civil conflicts, development policy issues, and the current economic affairs and issues relating to growth and stability. Professor Abeyratne has been a Visiting Fellow at universities in Japan, Australia, Italy and Vietnam.

Dr. Amitendu Palit

Dr. Amitendu Palit is Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economic Policy) at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore. He is an economist specialising in international trade policies, regional economic developments, comparative economic studies and political economy of public policies. He worked with the Government of India for several years, and his longest span was in the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, India. His current research focuses on economic and political implications of India’s integration with the Asia-Pacific region, impact of mega-regional trade agreements, and various determinants of external trade and integration policies of China and India. Dr. Palit will be joining the LKI Round Table via video conference.

Ms. Elizabeth Ward

Ms. Elizabeth Ward is the Chief Negotiator for Australia in the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement Negotiations, launched in May 2017. From 2014-early 2017, she was Australia’s Chief Negotiator in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiation, and from 2012-2014 the Deputy Chief Negotiator. From 2010-2014 she oversighted Australian negotiations on the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, and the ITA extension, as well as work on technical barriers to trade. From 2007 to late 2010 she was Minister-Counsellor for Trade Policy in the Australian Embassy, Washington DC.

LKI is a think tank which analyses Sri Lanka’s international relations and strategic interests, to provide insights and recommendations that advance justice, peace, prosperity and sustainability. It reflects the vision of the late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar by promoting the country’s intellectual profile in foreign policy research and engagement.