Sri Lanka again rejects resolution 51/1, but says will remain open to discussion

Sri Lanka has once again rejected the resolution 51/1 against Sri Lanka adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in October last year, but said Sri Lanka will remain open to discussion with the Council.

“A series of unhelpful resolutions have been adopted by the HRC, the latest being resolution 51/1, without our consent as the country concerned. I reiterate Sri Lanka´s position, which was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs last October, that we reject this resolution, which will extend and reinforce the so-called external evidence gathering mechanism on Sri Lanka established by the OHCHR in line with its own interpretation of Resolution 46/1,” the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, Himalee Arunatilaka, said addressing the 52nd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva recently.

She further said that “these resolutions are unhelpful to the people of my country, will polarize Sri Lankan society, and do not serve the objective of promoting reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We are of the view that this is an unproductive drain on the scarce resources of UN Member States which can be productively deployed elsewhere.”

“Despite our opposition to country specific resolutions, as explained to this Council before, we remain open to discussion with the Council, Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies, and continue to believe in the value of constructive engagement.”

“It is in this constructive spirit, that Sri Lanka participated in the UPR Process last month, despite the difficult circumstances in the country. We consider the UPR to be an extremely important tool, enabling countries to mutually assess the progress of each other’s human rights situation through engagement with peers in an atmosphere that is constructive and mutually respectful. Sri Lanka also looks forward to a meaningful dialogue when our 6th Periodic Report under the ICCPR is taken up for Review later this month.”