Gamani Corea Foundation (GCF) was set up by the late Dr Gamani Corea on February 10, 2000, as a foundation to take further his passion for development globally, with particular emphasis on Sri Lanka. The GCF is an autonomous non-profit institute that aims to promote development-related economic research, while being open to research from other social sciences, especially from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

Its mission is to contribute to the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka and other low-income and middle-income countries through informed, independent and high-quality research. GCF perceives research as being more than a mere academic exercise; it is primarily a catalyst for the tangible socio-economic transformation of countries and societies.

Sri Lanka Economic Association
https://www.slea.lk/

The second Economic Forum, jointly organized by the Gamani Corea Foundation and the Sri Lanka Economic Association, was held on 15 July 2026 at the Lighthouse Auditorium. The forum, titled “Financial Sector Resilience amidst External Shocks: Managing Policy Challenges for Financial Stability,” featured a keynote address by Mr. K. G. P. Sirikumara, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The keynote address was followed by a panel discussion featuring Prof. Priyanga Dunusinghe, Professor of Economics at the University of Colombo; Mr. J. P. R. Karunaratne, Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka; Mr. Damith Pallewatte, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of HNB; and Mr. Romani De Silva, Deputy Chairman/Managing Director of Alliance Finance Company PLC. The forum examined the resilience of Sri Lanka’s financial sector amid the current global economic and geopolitical volatility, highlighting the challenges posed by external shocks such as geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, and the rapid expansion of digital and online financial transactions. The discussions emphasized the importance of sound regulatory frameworks, forward-looking policy measures, and timely interventions in mitigating emerging risks, safeguarding financial stability, and strengthening the resilience of the financial sector against future uncertainties.

The Gamani Corea Foundation (GCF), in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Economic Association (SLEA), held the third seminar in their joint seminar series on June 11, 2026, at the GCF headquarters. The seminar was based on the book Policy Challenges of Globalization in Sri Lanka, authored by Dr. Sarath Rajapatirana, former Economic Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka and Chair of the Academic Programme at Advocata Institute, who delivered the keynote address. The session provided a platform for a broad discussion on free trade, the impact of global economic and geopolitical turmoil on the Sri Lankan economy, and the importance of strengthening Sri Lanka’s political and trade relations with both developed and developing countries beyond its conventional partners. The discussion also examined the policy challenges Sri Lanka has faced in the past and is likely to encounter in the future, particularly in the formulation and implementation of economic reforms aimed at enhancing the country’s integration into the global economy. The seminar highlighted the need for consistent and forward-looking policies to enable Sri Lanka to benefit from global economic integration while effectively managing emerging challenges.

The Gamani Corea Foundation and the Sri Lanka Economic Association jointly organized a public lecture titled “Sri Lanka’s Current Macroeconomic Policy Directions in the Context of Global Volatility” on 8 May 2026 at the Lighthouse Auditorium. The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara, who presented an overview of Sri Lanka’s macroeconomic conditions, examining where the economy stood during the recent crisis period and its current trajectory toward stabilization and recovery. He also discussed prevailing global economic conditions and outlined the country’s current macroeconomic policy directions in the face of global volatility. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Nisthar Cassim, Editor and CEO of the Daily FT. The panel featured Prof. O.G. Dayarathna Banda, Senior Professor in Economics at the University of Peradeniya and Director General of the National Institute of Education; Manjula de Silva, Honorary Board Director of the Gamani Corea Foundation and former CEO of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce; and Arani Rodrigo, Head of the Business Intelligence Unit of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.