The International Centre for Ethnic Studies is currently holding a series of lectures by eminent scholars, which was started on May 1999 in Colombo and Madras.

This program was initially named "The Millennium Program for Eminent Scholars", but after Dr. Tiruchelvam's assassination on 29th July 1999, it was decided to rename it "Neelan Tiruchelvam Memorial Lecture Series".

The purpose of the program is to bring scholars with international reputations to South Asia to reflect on the great ideas of the twentieth century and their impact on political and social history, and to give presentations on diverse themes relevant to twentieth century history. They will interact with local scholars so that there will be a discussion and a dialogue across cultures in this period of the greatest destruction and devastation. Ideas are central to the twentieth century, and policies and programs based on those ideas have greatly affected the way we have constructed political and social life and the way we interact with and judge the world.

		Professor Gowher Rizvi Lecturer in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Governance and Director, spoke on "Democracy, Governance and development" on July 27, 2008.
Hon. Gareth Evans, President, International Crisis Group, spoke on "The Limits of State Sovereignty: The Responsibility to Protect in the 21st Century, Gareth Evans" on July 29, 2007.
		Steve Coll, Staff Writer, The New Yorker, Former Managing Editor, The Washington Post spoke on "Terror and the Constitution: Notes From America Since September 11" on July 29, 2006.
Narendra Subramanian, Associate Professor of Political Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada spoke on "The Political Formation of Cultures: South Asian and other Experiences" on July 29, 2005.
		Clare Short, British Labour Party Politician and Member of Parliament spoke on "Justice and Human Rights for All: The Key to Peace and a Sustainable Worlds" on October 9, 2004.
E. Valentine Daniel, Professor of Anthropology and Philosophy, Columbia University spoke on "Whose Face is that I See" on July 29, 2003.
		Alexander Boraine, President, International Centre for Transitional Justice spoke on "Truth and Reconciliation in Times of Conflict: The South African Model " on July 29, 2002.
Amitav Ghosh, Novelist, Anthropologist, Professor of Comparative Literature, Queens College, City University of New York spoke on "No Greater Sorrow: Times of Joy Recalled in Wretchedness" on July 29, 2001.
		Patricia Viseur Sellers, Office of the Prosecutor, International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Hague, Netherlands spoke on "International Tribunals: Justice by Prosecution" on October 21, 2000.
Ian Martin, Former special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for East-Timor and former Secretary-General of Amnesty International spoke on "Human Rights Political Conflict & Compromise" on July 30, 2000.
		The second lecture was delivered by Michael Ignatieff, the London-based writer, historian and broadcaster, on "Nationalism and Self-Determination: Is there an Alternative to Violence?" on March 19, 2000.
The first lecture of the series was on "Re-imagining the State" by Blandine Krigel, Professor of Moral Philosophy and Politics, University of Paris X Nanterre in May 1999.