Published: 13 September 2023

Last Updated: 25 April 2025

Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions 11 – 14 September 2023

Statement by Sri Lanka

Agenda Item 8: General Exchange of Views

Thank you Mr. President,

Sri Lanka joins other delegations in congratulating you for assuming the Presidency of the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. I wish to assure you of my delegation’s fullest support towards a productive outcome of our deliberations. We also warmly welcome Nigeria and South Sudan as the 111^th and the 112^th States Parties to the Convention. This is an important step towards universalization of the Convention.

Mr. President,

As a country which has never used, developed, produced, acquired or stockpiled Cluster Munitions even during the time of a brutal terrorist conflict, Sri Lanka wishes to reiterate its strong and enduring commitment to realizing the core objectives of the Convention inter alia ‘to put an end for all time to the suffering and casualties caused by cluster munitions’.

We consider that the Convention on Cluster Munitions is a significant disarmament treaty adopted by more than half of the world in the past decade, with far-reaching obligations.

Published: 13 September 2023

Last Updated: 16 February 2024

54^th Session of the Human Rights Council
Agenda Item 2 - General Debate 
Statement by Her Excellency Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva 
13^th September 2023

Mr. President,

Resolutions 60/251 and 48/141 require that the work of this Council and the OHCHR should be guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, and constructive international dialogue and cooperation.

Published: 13 September 2023

Last Updated: 13 September 2023

54^th Session of the Human Rights Council
Agenda Item 2 - General Debate 
Statement by Her Excellency Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva 
13^th September 2023

Mr. President,

Resolutions 60/251 and 48/141 require that the work of this Council and the OHCHR should be guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, and constructive international dialogue and cooperation.

Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the case with regard to Sri Lanka.

One such instance in the Written Update is the reference to the investigations on the Easter Sunday Attacks of 2019. It is regrettable that the OHCHR has sought to use incorrect and unsubstantiated information from biased sources in their analysis. As Sri Lanka has repeatedly informed this Council, extensive and comprehensive investigations have been carried out by the GoSL with regard to these attacks including a Presidential Commission of Inquiry, the report of which was submitted to the Parliament. Investigations carried out by the Government authorities were assisted by international professional agencies including the Australian Federal Police, the FBI of the United States and INTERPOL.

Published: 13 September 2023

Last Updated: 13 September 2023

The written update on Sri Lanka was presented at the 54^th Session of the Human Rights Council that commenced on 11 September 2023 in Geneva by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada al-Nashif.

Delivering Sri Lanka´s statement as the country concerned, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka at the outset reiterated that Resolutions 46/1 and 51/1 were adopted by a divided vote in the Council where the majority of the Member States either opposed or abstained from voting on these Resolutions, in fundamental disagreement with its unacceptable content, in particular the so-called evidence gathering mechanism, the establishment of which is unprecedented.

Sri Lanka rejected the written update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights titled ‘Situation of Human Rights in Sri Lanka’ together with its conclusions and recommendations, while reaffirming its commitment to pursuing tangible progress through domestic institutions.

Published: 11 September 2023

Last Updated: 11 September 2023

 
GoSL Statement made by H.E. Himalee Arunatilaka, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva

54^th Session of the Human Rights Council:

Report on Sri Lanka by the High Commissioner for Human Rights
pursuant to HRC Resolution 51/1
11 September 2023

 Mr. President,

At the outset, let me reiterate that the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has consistently rejected Resolution 46/1 and 51/1 that led to the setting up of the so-called ‘Accountability Project’. We also reject the written update, its conclusions and recommendations.

We recall that the majority of the Member States either opposed or abstained from voting on these Resolutions, in fundamental disagreement with its unacceptable content in particular the so-called evidence gathering mechanism, the establishment of which is unprecedented. We reiterate that it goes beyond the mandate that Member States conferred on the Council by UNGA Resolution 60/251.

Published: 29 August 2023

Last Updated: 25 April 2025

General Intervention by H.E. Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, on 28 August 2023

Mr. Chair,

Sri Lanka compliments the work accomplished by you as the Chair of this open-ended working group to date, based on the mandate given by General Assembly resolution 76/231. We are thankful to all Member States for their constructive engagement throughout the past sessions towards reaching a substantive outcome of this working group.

Mr. Chair,

Sri Lanka recognizes the common interest of humankind in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes without discrimination. Sri Lanka has been actively engaging in multilateral efforts for the prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) over many decades since becoming a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. Significantly, Sri Lanka proposed a moratorium on the testing and development of space weapons preceding multilateral negotiations on a treaty to prohibit all weapons in space in 1985.