Sri Lanka is regarded as a development success story. However, despite good social indicators, it has had more then its fair share of setbacks.

On Thursday 26 April Deepika Udagama, Head of the Department of Law at the University of Colombo, will present the annual Ingram Lecture at UNSW. She will speak about Sri Lanka's development challenges, the complexities within development paradigms and examine whether the law, especially via a rights-based approach, can provide answers.

Dr Udagama specialises in international Human Rights Law. She is Sri Lanka's alternate member to the United Nations (UN) Sub-Commission on the promotion and protection of Human Rights, and the UN Sub-Commission`s Co-Special Reporter on Globalisation and its impact on Human Rights. She currently serves as the Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Foundation`s Commission on Democracy and Human Rights.

Dr Udagama is in Australia as the Ingram Visiting Fellow in the Faculty of Law at UNSW. The Fellowship is funded by the Ingram Fund for International Law and Development, donated to the UNSW Faculty of Law by Mr James Ingram AO, former Executive Director of the United Nations Food Program. The purpose of the fund is to promote the study, teaching and dissemination of international law at UNSW and to foster understanding of the impact of law on the interests of developing countries.

What: Conflict, Tsunami Reconstruction and Human Development in Sri Lanka: Lessons to be Learnt (free public lecture)When: 6pm - 7pm, Thursday 26 AprilWhere: Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of New South Wales

Media are welcome to attend the lecture and Dr Udagama is available for interview.

Media Contact: Victoria Collins, UNSW Media Office, tel. 02 9385 3263, 0412 980 044 or v.collins@unsw.edu.au