Sri Lanka’s Diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala Passes Away, Leaving Behind Legacy of Boring Diplomatic Achievements
In what can only be described as the most riveting news story of the day (sorry Kardashian lovers), veteran Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala has officially kicked the bucket. He passed away today at the age of 85 while receiving treatment at Kandy National Hospital.
Dhanapala is best known for his role as the UN Under-Secretary-General for the Office for Disarmament Affairs from 1998-2003, but let’s not forget all those diplomatic postings in London, Beijing, Washington DC, New Delhi and Geneva. Yawn.
A Career Full of Best-Seller Books…Just Kidding
But wait; there’s more to this fascinating story! Dhanapala was also a member of the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka from 2018-2020. Hold on to your hats because it gets even better: he was THE 11th President of something called ‘Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs,’ which apparently won a Nobel Peace Prize. Impressive stuff – if you’re into that kind of thing.
Honorary Doctorates Galore!
Dhanapala received many international awards and honorary doctorates. We cannot confirm whether or not these were purchased online along with some new shoes.
“His legacy will live on through his boring diplo-speak speeches.”
In addition to being an expert in tiresome bureaucratic jargon and double-speak that could make even lawyers nod off mid-sentence, Dhanapala also published FIVE whole books about peace and disarmament. Can you imagine reading a single page of these tomes without your eyes crossing?
Prolific Writer…If You Consider Technicalspeak Exciting
On top of all that, he’s written several articles in international journals and lectured widely on political, disarmament, economic, trade, human rights and cultural matters. We can only assume more than a few people fell asleep during those lectures.
Bilateral? Multilateral? Who Cares!
Let’s not forget his role in “political, disarmament, economic, trade…” Woah horsey! That does not sound like the life of the party.
“I wonder if anyone ever snuck into one of his speeches just to try out their new sleep medication?”
Still Talking About Diplomacy? Pass Me Another Drink…
Dhanapala was clearly dedicated to international diplomacy but let’s be honest – with all those snooze-inducing terms getting bandied around it’s no surprise this news barely registered as a blip on everyone’s radar.
