Harini Amarasuriya

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was appointed the 17th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on 18 November 2024 and also oversees the nation’s education portfolio. A scholar and social activist, she has long worked at the nexus of academia, public policy and social development. Before entering government, she served as a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the Open University of Sri Lanka and contributed to national policy forums, including the University Grants Commission’s Standing Committee on Gender Equality and Social Equity. Her research spans youth, social justice, gender and child protection, and she led Sri Lanka’s National Human Development Report (2014) and helped draft the National Youth Policy. Dr. Amarasuriya holds degrees from the University of Delhi, Macquarie University, the University of Edinburgh and Queen Margaret University. She has also served on the boards of key civil society organizations, including NEST, CENWOR and the Law & Society Trust. She leads Sri Lanka’s smallest cabinet to date, advancing a vision of efficient, transparent governance.