Vote on Sri Lanka in Geneva postponed to tomorrow

By Easwaran Rutnam

The vote on the resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva has been postponed to tomorrow.

The vote was to be taken today but officials in Geneva told Daily Mirror it has been postponed to tomorrow (Tuesday) owing to some scheduling issues.

"The vote on draft resolution A/HRC/46/L.1 will now take place on Tuesday 23 March 2021. As the first resolution to be reviewed the timing should normally be shortly after 09.00 (Geneva time)," officials said.

The vote is expected to go against Sri Lanka as most countries have decided to support the resolution.

The resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to enhance its monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, including on progress in reconciliation and accountability, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its forty-eighth session, as well as a written update at its forty-ninth session, and a comprehensive report that includes further options for advancing accountability, at its fifty-first session, both to be discussed in the context of an interactive dialogue.

The resolution also encourages the Office of the High Commissioner and relevant special procedure mandate holders to provide, in consultation with and with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka, advice and technical assistance on implementing the above-mentioned steps.