Former Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam, has been elected by acclamation as the Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) at the opening segment of the Committee’s 42nd session held at Palais Wilson in Geneva.

In his remarks following the election on 28 May 2026, Ambassador Kariyawasam thanked the Committee for electing him by acclamation and emphasized the importance of adopting a strategic approach to the Committee’s future work, particularly in the context of evolving challenges in the human rights landscape and resource constraints, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism stated. 

Ambassador Kariyawasam, who was elected to the Committee in June 2023, will serve as Chair for a two-year term, the Ministry said. 

He previously served as the inaugural Chair of the Committee upon its establishment in 2004 and has served on the Committee for four terms.

Ambassador Kariyawasam is a retired career diplomat with over three decades of professional experience both in Sri Lanka and internationally, and is a well-recognized expert in this field.

The United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) is a body of 14 independent experts that monitors the implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families which is a core international human rights treaty.