VIDEO: Resolution on SL adopted without a vote

The new resolution on Sri Lanka that was submitted to the UNHRC last Thursday, was adopted without a vote a short while ago, as part of the proceedings of 40th meeting of the UNHR Council’s ongoing 30th session.

The resolution A/HRC/30/L.29, titled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ was submitted before the Council last Thursday following a series of negotiations between the Sri Lankan delegation and the ‘Core Group’ sponsors to which included delegations from Albania, Australia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UK, Northern Ireland and the US.

Meanwhile, the resolution also enjoyed the support of 25 more additional co-sponsors.

It was submitted last Thursday about five hours behind schedule, due to setbacks that resulted from prolonged negotiations over its language, as objections were raised against certain paragraphs and wording included in the draft text by the Sri Lankan delegation.

However, eventually Sri Lanka decided to co-sponsor the resolution once a consensus was reached over its content.
The resolution while welcoming the government’s recognition an accountability process to uphold the rule of law, affirms the importance of having independent judicial and prosecutorial institutions led by personnel known for integrity and impartiality and has further noted the ‘importance of participation in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism, including the Special Counsel’s office, of Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers, and authorized prosecutors and investigators’.

The resolution has also recognised the need for accountability and reconciliation process for the violations and abuses committed by the LTTE as highlighted in the recently released OISL (OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka) report.

Moreover, it has called for the OHCHR to continue to monitor Sri Lanka’s progress in the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes linked to reconciliation, accountability, and human rights and calls for the High Commissioner’s Office to present an oral update to the UNHRC at its 32nd session as well as a comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of the present resolution at its 34th session.

[youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H_7GtZfaUs” width=”560″ height=”315″]

(DM)