President Maithripala Sirisena says Sri Lanka is performing for the betterment of its people with much responsibility, in keeping with the charters of UN, as a member of United Nations. He said the government is taking the process to ensure human rights and reconciliation forward step by step. The President made these remarks during his meeting with Prince Zeid al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process in which the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States are reviewed periodically. It was introduced when the UN Human Rights Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, and it was adopted unanimously by all UN Member States. Under this process, the human rights situation of all member countries of the UN is reviewed every 4.5 years.
- The UPR is a State-driven process. Each State is given an opportunity to declare what actions have been taken to improve the human rights situation in a country and to fulfil their respective human rights obligations. The UPR is designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed. The ultimate aim of this mechanism is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur.
Consideration of the Fifth Periodic Report of Sri Lanka under the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) took place at the 61st Session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, held at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, on 8-9 June 2017. Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva led the Sri Lanka delegation and introduced the report.
Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva delivered the Statement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka as the country concerned during the Clustered Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur (SR) on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Mr. Diego García-Sayán, at the 35th Session of the Human Rights Council today (12 June 2017). The Statement followed the presentation of the Report (A/HRC/35/31/Add 1) on the visit of previous Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Ms. Mónica Pinto to Sri Lanka from 29th April to 7th May 2016.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Geneva
12 June 2017
Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has emphasized the need to fully utilize the holistic normative framework that the Right to Development provides in the realization of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. While affirming Sri Lanka's continued support to the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development, he also highlighted the need for early finalization of the draft criteria and sub-criteria enabling the operationalization and realization of the Right to Development at the international level.
Ambassador Aryasinha made these observations when he delivered Sri Lanka’s statement at the 18th Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development today (03 April 2017) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Geneva
03 April 2017
The Government of Sri Lanka extends its appreciation to all the countries that extended support to Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council yesterday, 23 March 2017, for the adoption of Resolution A/HRC/34/1 titled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’, by consensus.
We deeply appreciate the understanding shown by all, and support for Sri Lanka’s processes for promoting reconciliation, justice, and human rights, towards enduring peace and prosperity for all Sri Lankans.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Harsha De Silva, MP, addressed the 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council today (23 March 2017) as the country concerned, during the adoption of the draft resolution A/HRC/34/L.1 “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka”, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.