Sri Lanka urged the co-sponsors of the ‘politicised’ draft United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution (A/HRC/57/L.1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka), which Sri Lanka opposes, to support and encourage the Government’s clear intention to address human rights and reconciliation through domestic processes and in line with the country’s international obligations.

This was noted by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Himalee Arunatilaka while delivering the Government’s statement prior to the adoption of the draft proposal. 

Sri Lanka, on Wednesday (9), rejected the draft resolution which was tabled before the UNHRC seeking to extend the mandate of Resolution 51/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka. Earlier on Wednesday, the draft resolution was adopted without a vote during the ongoing 57th Regular Session of the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland.

However, Arunatilaka said that the draft resolution 57/L.1 extends the mandates contained in resolution 51/1. She said that Sri Lanka has opposed resolution 51/1 and the preceding resolution 46/1 under which an external evidence gathering mechanism has been established within the UN Office (O) of the High Commissioner (HC) for HR. She said Sri Lanka also disassociates from the report of the UN HCHR, and that resolution 51/1 was tabled without Sri Lanka’s consent as the country concerned, and was adopted by a divided vote. As such, any subsequent decision extending mandates established by this resolution lacks consensus in the UNHRC, the Ambassador said. “As we have repeatedly reminded, the setting up of this external evidence gathering mechanism within the OHCHR is an unprecedented and ad hoc expansion of the UNHRC’s mandate, and contradicts its founding principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity.” No sovereign State can accept the superimposition of an external mechanism that runs contrary to its Constitution and which pre-judges the commitment of its domestic legal processes, the statement said. Furthermore, Sri Lanka pointed out that many countries have already raised serious concerns on the budgetary implications of this mechanism given its ever-expanding mandate. 

Notwithstanding its rejection of the resolution, Sri Lanka said that it will continue its longstanding constructive engagement with the UNHRC including with regular human rights bodies, and all core HR treaties to which it is party to, as well as the country’s commitments under the universal periodic review process.

Sri Lanka also expressed appreciation for the principled positions taken by many countries in the UNHRC in support of Sri Lanka as it enters a new chapter in the country.