Jayatilake Kankanamalage Janith Prabashwara Perera

Profile

Janith is a PhD researcher in the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds. His research project focuses on youth power and agency in peacebuilding, with a particular emphasis on peace education as a post-conflict peacebuilding strategy in Sri Lanka. Since 2013, Janith has been actively involved in peacebuilding, community development, and international development, with a special focus on youth empowerment.

With over a decade of experience as a ‘Youth, Peace and Security’ practitioner, Janith has worked across various non-governmental and community-based organisations, holding roles ranging from volunteer to director. Notable experiences include serving as the Advocacy Team Lead at the UNFPA-hosted Youth Peace Panel of Sri Lanka, Director of Capacity Building at Citizens Youth-Led Movement (Sri Lanka), Executive of Peace Education at Global Peace Let’s Talk (UK), and Director and Ambassador-at-Large at the World Institute for Peace (Nigeria).

Currently, Janith serves as an advisor to the Peace Leadership Collaborative (USA), the International Youth Alliance for Peace (Sri Lanka), and the Peace Gong Fellowship (India). Through his contributions, these organizations advance SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Janith has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to youth empowerment in peacebuilding and education. These include the National Youth SDG Action Award (Sri Lanka), the 2021 Diana Award (UK), the Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award (India-Sri Lanka), and the Nelson Mandela Peace Award (South Africa-Sri Lanka). In 2021, he was also a finalist for the Youth Carnegie Peace Prize, hosted by the Peace Palace (International Court of Justice). He has received multiple honorary titles, including Laureate of Peace (Nigeria), Youth Peace Animator (South Korea), and Paragon of Hope for Asia (Canada-USA).

In addition to his work in peacebuilding, Janith has had a distinguished career in education, spanning primary, secondary, further, and higher education. Before embarking on his PhD, he served as a full-time lecturer at a higher education institution in London. Janith’s academic journey at the University of Colombo’s Department of International Relations was marked by distinction; he graduated with second-class upper division honours and was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Medal (D. P.P. Samarasekara Peace Prize).

In 2021, Janith was awarded the Developing Solutions Masters Scholarship at the University of Nottingham, UK, which he completed with distinction, also winning the Vice Chancellor’s Medal. In 2024, he received the Politics of Global Challenges PhD Scholarship from the School of Politics and International Studies at the University of Leeds to pursue his doctoral studies.

Research interests

Youth-led Peacebuilding, Youth in Development, Youth in Security Studies, Peace Education, Political Violence, Local Turn in Peacebuilding, Education and International Development

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) Conflict Resolution and Peace (International Relations), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
• MA Education, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom