Lionel Fernando

M. E. Lionel Fernando (17 February 1936 – 6 July 2024) was a Sri Lankan civil servant and diplomat. He held the offices of Secretary to the Ministry of Media, Tourism and Aviation, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Netherlands, Sri Lankan Ambassador to France, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia and Governor of the North Eastern Province.

He was the first Sinhala Government Agent in Jaffna and later held numerous positions in the public service. Fernando was also Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Defence and Commissioner General of Rehabilitation and Essential Services. He was also the chairman of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW) associated to the UNO, and Chairperson Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.

Fernando died in Colombo on 6 July 2024, at the age of 88.