Over USD 6 million to be busted on Sri Lanka resolution

The United Nations will be forced to bust over USD 6 million to implement the resolution on Sri Lanka which was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Johannes Huisman, the Director of Programme Planning and Budget Division at the UN said that the adoption of draft resolution A/HRC/51/L.1/Rev.1 would give rise to total requirements of $6,092,300.

A/HRC/51/L.1/Rev.1 titled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” was passed by the UNHRC.

Huisman informed the Secretary of the Human Rights Council Ms. Hui Lu that in order to implement the mandate contained in paragraphs 8 and 19 of the draft resolution, a number of activities and resources would be required in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Paragraphs 8 recognizes the importance of preserving and analyzing evidence relating to violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes in Sri Lanka with a view to advancing accountability, and decides to extend and reinforce the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to collect, consolidate, analyze and preserve information and evidence and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes for gross violations of human rights or serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka, to advocate for victims and survivors, and to support relevant judicial and other proceedings, including in Member States, with competent jurisdiction (OP. 8);

Paragraphs 19 of the resolution requests the Office of the High Commissioner to enhance its monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, including on progress in reconciliation and accountability, and on the impact of the economic crisis and corruption on human rights, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third and fifty-fifth sessions, and a written update at its fifty-fourth session and a comprehensive report that includes further options for advancing accountability at its fifty-seventh session, both to be discussed in the context of an interactive dialogue

Accordingly, Huisman has listed the activities that will need to be carried out until 2024 which would give rise to a total requirement of $6,092,300.

The request will be put forward to the UN General Assembly for approval.

Some countries have already raised concerns over the cost at a time the world is facing economic issues. (Easwaran Rutnam)