Rodney Vandergert
Encyclopedia
Rodney Clement Austen Vandergert was a prominent Sri Lanka
n 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
of Canada
and Ambassador
to People’s Republic of China & Soviet Union
.
graduating with LLB and qualified as a Advocate of the Supreme Court at the Colombo Law College. Later would gain a Masters degree in Law from the New York University
, specializing in International Public Law.
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
.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and civil servant, who served as the Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka that conducts and manages Sri Lanka's relations with other countries...
of Sri Lanka and Chairman of the Public Service Commission
Civil Service Commission
-Chairmen:*John Houghton MHK, 2004-date*George Waft MLC, 1996-2004*Clare Christian MLC, 1981-1982*Noel Cringle MLC, 1992-1996*Walter Gilbey, years unknown...
. He had served as Sri Lankan High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to People’s Republic of China & Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Education
Vandergert was educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo where he won the Governor-General's prize. He then pursued higher studies at the University of CeylonUniversity of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
graduating with LLB and qualified as a Advocate of the Supreme Court at the Colombo Law College. Later would gain a Masters degree in Law from the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, 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 to the former Soviet Union and Ambassador to the 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 Vandergert diplomat to be appointed to this post till then.After retiring from the foreign service, he served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission
Civil Service Commission
-Chairmen:*John Houghton MHK, 2004-date*George Waft MLC, 1996-2004*Clare Christian MLC, 1981-1982*Noel Cringle MLC, 1992-1996*Walter Gilbey, years unknown...
from 2002 to 2005 and was a visiting lecturer in International Law at the Law Faculty
Faculty of Law, University of Colombo
The Faculty of Law is one of seven faculties of the University of Colombo. The premier law school in the country, it conducts both undergraduate and post-graduate degree programs in the field law....
. He was honorary member of the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon
Burgher people
The Burghers are a Eurasian ethnic group, historically from Sri Lanka, consisting for the most part of male-line descendants of European colonists from the 16th to 20th centuries and local women, with some minorities of Swedish, Norwegian, French and Irish.Today the mother tongue of the Burghers...
.