Dr Gamini has over 45 years of experience in Sri Lanka and abroad. He pioneered people-centered approaches to heritage conservation and is widely known for his contributions to World Heritage. He served as Director of Conservation at Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology during which period one of his notable achievements in the region was the complete restoration of the Star Fort in Matara. Dr Wijesuriya was a staff member at the International Centre for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM ) in Rome and currently serves as Special Adviser to the Director of WHITRAP Shanghai, acts as a UNESCO facilitator for the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention, and sits on the Scientific Committee of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia (ACHA). Trained as an architect and archaeologist, he has authored numerous publications and received the prestigious ICCROM Award for his outstanding service to global heritage conservation.