Afghanistan until he moved to the United Nations in 1967. United Nations Amerasinghe was appointed Ceylon's Permanent Representative to the UN in 1967, a post that he would hold until 1980. At the UN, he held several key positions, which included Chairmanship of the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction, President of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and chairman United Nations Sea-Bed Committee. Amerasinghe was also the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean, which Sri Lanka proposed be designated as "zone of peace". He has chaired the committee when it was created in 1973. Also, since its creation in 1969, he has been Chairman of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories. In 1976, he became the President of the United Nations General Assembly Thirty-first session of the general assembly. While serving as Permanent Representative, he held concurrent accreditation as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Brazil. He was re-elected chairman of the Conference on the Law of the Sea in 1980 after he had left Sri Lanka's delegation to the United Nations. The Economist styled him the two-million-dollar chairman, after the cost of the conference. Death He died on 4 December 1980 in New York, USA. For his services for the Law of the Sea, a fellowship in his name has been created by the UN. See also Sri Lankan Non Career Diplomats References External links HAMILTON SHIRLEY AMERASINGHE MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP ON THE LAW OF THE SEA Copyright United Nations, 2013 1913 births 1980 deaths Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly Permanent Representatives of Sri Lanka to the United Nations High Commissioners of Sri Lanka to India Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Nepal Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Afghanistan Ambassadors of Sri Lanka to Brazil Permanent secretaries of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan diplomats Sinhalese civil servants Alumni of the Ceylon University College Alumni of Royal College, Colombo