New Sri Lankan Government rejects resolution at UNHRC

The new Sri Lankan Government has decided to reject the resolution presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, at its ongoing 57th Session.

Foreign Minister and Cabinet spokesman Vijitha Herath said that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal for Sri Lanka to strongly reject the resolution at the present session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

He said that Sri Lanka will continue to oppose resolution 51/1 and has not agreed to any resolution that extends the powers of the collection of external evidence mechanism.

However, he said that even though, the said proposal has been rejected, Sri Lanka firmly believes that action must be taken over human right issues including to address reconciliation through local procedures.

He said that Sri Lanka will also continue to engage in meaningful discussions with the UN Human Rights Council and regular human right mechanisms.

More countries have joined as additional sponsors of a resolution on??Sri Lanka?presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, at its ongoing 57th Session.

The resolution was tabled by the main sponsors the United Kingdom, Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United States of America.

However, as of 4th October the had Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America as the sponsors and co-sponsors of the resolution.

The Resolution titled ?Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka? had been submitted to the Secretariat just ahead of the Presidential Election in Sri Lanka.

Resolution A/HRC/57/L.1 looks to renew the mandate in Resolution 51/1, which the??Sri Lankan?Government has already rejected.

The new Resolution tabled at the?Human Rights Council during its ongoing 57^th?Session calls for the mandate and all requested work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Human Rights Council resolution 51/1 to be extended.

?Decides to extend the mandate and all requested work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Human Rights Council resolution 51/1 and requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present an oral update at its 58^th session, and a comprehensive report on progress on human rights, reconciliation, and accountability in Sri Lanka at its 60th session to be discussed in an interactive dialogue,? the resolution says. (Colombo Gazette)