Deshamanya Dr. Gamani Corea (4th November, 1925 – 3rd November, 2013) had a career of extraordinary achievements. At various times, he was the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chairman of the South Centre in Geneva, a founding member of the Third World Forum, Ceylon’s Ambassador to the European Economic Community (EEC), Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs of Ceylon, and the Senior Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon. Dr. Gamani Corea was the founder Chairman of the Marga Institute and the Institute of Policy Studies, and the founder President of the Sri Lanka Economic Association, and the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also the Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka.
Dr. Corea had an academic career of rare distinction. He was a graduate of two prestigious institutions of higher education, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. He was the first Sri Lankan to obtain a Doctorate in Economics. He was also the first Sri Lankan to obtain a Doctorate from Oxford University in any subject. Cambridge and Oxford, in his time, had some of the most famous names in economics in their faculties. Associated with Cambridge was perhaps the most influential economist of the twentieth century, John Maynard Keynes.
His passion for the economic interests of the Third World transformed the global economic order in many ways, some anticipated and others unexpected, yet always beneficial to developing countries. He was an ardent proponent of development policies that addressed the global-level disparities and development inequalities which affected developing countries. His strength of conviction on the need for structural change and a new international economic order led to several key accomplishments including the establishment of the Group of 77 and the South Centre, and the introduction of the Integrated Programme for Commodities (IPC) that led to the formation of the Common Fund for Commodities. Most significant among these is the initiative for debt forgiveness for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), which was an outcome of his leadership to the expert group of the Non-Aligned Movement on Third World Debt.
He contributed immensely to the advancement of the development goals of the Global South. As such, his legacy to the South is rich and valuable, providing it with its own identity in the global arena. He was tireless in fostering international cooperation and played an active role in reinforcing unity among nations of the Global South while strengthening their position in multilateral negotiations. The influence of his thinking on development has spanned across continents, from the Asian countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, the Malay Straits and the South China Sea, to the Atlantic coasts of West Africa and Latin America, and the Pacific Coasts of South America and East Asia. His vision for a more just and equitable world order was reflected in his role as the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, steering the organization towards integrity of critical thought in the field of development, offering fair and better development prospects for marginalized countries, and being the voice of the poorest and most vulnerable. His commitment, leadership and policy contributions towards this end were extraordinary.
To pursue his vision further, Dr. Corea established the Gamani Corea Foundation on February 10, 2000 and in December 2002 appointed the Directors of the Board with Dr Corea himself as Chairman and Dr Godfrey Gunatilleke as Vice Charman and members Dr Nimal Sandaratne, Dr Lloyd Fernando, Dr Harsha Aturupane and Mr Priya Amerasinghe.