John De Saram

John De Saram is a Sri Lankan diplomat and lawyer, who served as Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York. He was a former Director of the Office of the Legal Counsel, United Nations Office of Legal Affairs and was a former member of the United Nations International Law Commission. He represented Ceylon as a sprinter at the 1948 Summer Olympics and 1950 British Empire Games.

Born in Colombo to a family of lawyers, De Saram was educated at the Royal College, Colombo from where he entered the newly established Law Faculty of the University of Ceylon in 1949 and graduated with an LLB shortly he took oaths as an advocate of the Supreme Court of Ceylon.

After a brief period of private practice, he joined the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Rising to become the Director of the Office of the Legal Counsel of the Office of Legal Affairs, he became a member of the United Nations International Law Commission.

In 1998 he took up appointment as Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York. Holding the post till 2002, he was instrumental neutralizing LTTE activity in the UN.

Currently he is a consultant and counsel for the law firm DL&F De Saram.