The Churchill Institute
Sri Lanka
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER /DIRECTOR
Srinath Fernando JP LLM (UK), LLM (Colombo)
Founder & Director
“Long live the cause of Freedom”– Winston Churchill..
The Churchill Institute is a newly established educational development and training institute. We feel that former Prime Minister of Great Britain late Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a unique personality who was able to demonstrate statesmanship during his tenure as Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II. The intellectual brilliance and statesmanship of a legend is worth emulating.
We have introduced a wide gamut of training programs for Sri Lankan youth, young professionals who would aspire to be future leaders and Ambassadors of Sri Lanka. We conduct training programs that have never before been conducted such as Political Lobbying, Oil and Gas Law, International Law, Diplomatic Law and Practice, Transitional Justice, International Relations, Global Political Economy, Executive Management, Political Communications and Diplomatic Negotiations.
We feel the Institute could provide a raft of educational training programs ideally aimed at enhancing the skills of Sri Lankan youth, mid-level executives who are struggling to bridge the skills gap and public communication abilities.
We will soon be introducing our flagship training program on diplomatic negotiations in which we hope to impart knowledge through case studies. The participants will be able to grasp the practical aspects of diplomatic negotiations through case studies. The program focuses more on the historic aspects of diplomacy and intricacies of global disputes. The Falkland crisis was a classic example in which the political strategies adopted by belligerent countries Argentina and United Kingdom failed to achieve peace instead the failed diplomacy pushed them to confront each other head on in the battle field. It is therefore imperative to delve deep into historical aspects on how diplomacy either failed or succeeded in resolving disputes among state parties. With the advent of globalization and increased interaction among States, it is important to have a firm grasp of Public International Law before one embarks on a global environment in which business or governance is conducted.
The Institute has developed a number of case studies on many subjects and this is a unique achievement for a Sri Lankan institute. Our training program on Oil and Gas Law is structured to provide a broad spectrum of dynamics involved in the oil and gas exploration and the impact on international environmental laws. Political Lobbying (Government Relations) is a thriving professional consulting industry in the United States and other western democracies where constitutional governance is upheld. There are professional institutions and associates formed to foster professional standards. There is very little understanding on this subject in Sri Lanka.
All participants of our training programs will be given a Certificate of Completion for each category of training as per our training schedules.
We propose to hold our 1st Annual Churchill Lecture in August 2025 in an attempt to revive the sense of statesmanship and the achievements of Sir Winston Churchill who provided leadership to a coalition of countries and shaped the Allied strategy during World War II.
Srinath Fernando JP
LLM (UK), LLM (Colombo)
Founder & Director
18th February 2025
Our Training Programs
Diplomatic Negotiations
The diplomatic negotiation is our flagship training program. There have been complex diplomatic disputes in the past and we will examine how these disputes have been resolved through various diplomatic efforts. It is imperative for a student to grasp this subject through practical issues that had gripped the world in the past. There are ample examples and we hope to capture the imagination of students through case study methods and discussion
Political Lobbying
Lobbying is a thriving professional consultancy industry in the United States, UK , Canada and other western democracies. It is a form of advocacy through which decisions of the policy makers, legislators and government officials could be influenced. Sri Lanka has been a constitutional democracy since 1972 and the profession of political lobbying has not been advanced as much as it should have. Our approach is to raise the awareness of constitutional freedoms and limitations and how citizens, civil society organizations, Business Chambers, Trade Unions could actively engage in lobbying the government on policy and regulatory matters within the framework of the 1978 constitution.
Oil & Gas Law
Oil and Gas Law is a new academic discipline never before been taught in Sri Lanka. We will look into the operational dynamics and legal framework concerning oil exploration, UNCLOS, Production Sharing Agreements (PSA), Oil Drilling Contracts, maritime law and International Environmental laws governing the oil and gas industry. The oil and gas industry is highly regulated as there have been serious accidents. Accident prevention has been a major discourse among key global stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
International Law
With the advent of globalization and the advancement of communication technologies it is imperative for an aspiring diplomat to have a thorough grasp of international law. The training would focus on the issues confronted by the diplomats in resolving global issues. Our case studies include the shooting down of the PAN-AM Flight over Lockerbie Scotland and the diplomatic row between India and Italy in handling the diplomatic dispute involving the arrest of Italian marines (Sea Marshalls) over a shooting of an Indian fisherman. The Sea Marshals were on board an Italian registered vessel and whether their conduct in killing the fisherman and subsequent arrest by the Indian authorities constitute a crime and under whose jurisdiction they should be tried. The students will also be exposed to principles of international criminal law, war crimes and universal jurisdiction, extraterritorial law and extradition law
Diplomatic Law & Practice
Training on Diplomatic Law and Practice is mainly focused on how the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Vienna Convention on Consular Relations are applied by states. The object of the course is to provide the students with practical knowledge and understanding of international diplomatic law and practice by focusing on practical issues confronted by the States such as the U.S Hostage Crisis, dispute between Italy and India over arrest of Italian marines and diversion of RyanAir flight over Belarus. In some cases studies had multiple factors involved and this underscores the fact that aspiring students must have a firm grasp of Public International Law.
Transitional Justice
Transitional justice focuses on how societies address legacies of past grave human rights abuses, mass atrocities, or other forms of severe social trauma, including allegations of genocide or war crimes, in order to build a more democratic, just, or peaceful future. Transitional Justice is inherently very complicated as it touches on the sentiments of perpetrators and victims and there are competing claims with nationalistic fervor. It is a very specialized subject and we believe that the South African model has been a unique story. There have been many discussions in Sri Lanka on the success of this model. We will look into case studies and the impact TJ has on the societies in general. The adoption of the new Constitution of South Africa is a unique exercise in TJ.
International Relations
This is an area for young professionals who would like to aspire for a career in international relations. Our training is focused on the principles of international relations and global dynamics in this area. It is hoped to cover less on international law but on international politics etc.
Global Political Economy
This is a very special training program covering global strategic issues, global energy security, and political aspects of vital global sea and air transportation issues. The super power rivalries as manifested in the Indo Pacific theater. We will also cover foreign policy dilemmas in some regions of the world.
Executive Management
The executive management is an area where we hope to enhance the capabilities and capacity of youth who are at mid-level of the career ladder. The training would entail developing soft skills of youth and young professionals such as business communications, global logistics and commerce, international banking, leadership dynamics and confidence of being seated on the Board of a corporate entity.