High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay will undertake a visit to Sri Lanka from 25 to 31 August 2013, in response to an invitation formally extended to her by the Sri Lankan government in April 2011, the government said.

Addressing the Human Rights Council -23rd Regular Session in Geneva today Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Geneva and the Leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation Ravinatha P. Aryasinha said that Sri Lanka considers this visit as part of its continued, transparent and proactive engagement with the High Commissioner and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

“We believe that the visit would enable the High Commissioner to experience at first hand the significant strides made and also efforts presently underway in the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka, in the relatively brief period of 4 years since the end of the ruthless terrorist conflict that decimated our nation and its peoples for 30 long years.”

He also said, “We hope that through the visit, a platform will be built for constructive engagement between Sri Lankan Government and the OHCHR, laying by the fallacies that have in recent years guided the UN system's actions and engagement with respect to Sri Lanka and its reconciliation process.”