Sri Lanka not on UN Human Rights Council agenda

Contrary to certain news items and commentaries appearing in certain Sri Lankan newspapers, Sri Lanka is not on the agenda of the ongoing Sixth Session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva releasing a statement said. After the deadline for the submission of draft resolutions expired at 12 noon on Monday September 24 the EU delegation confirmed to the Sri Lanka delegation that it has not tabled any resolution on Sri Lanka.

No reference to any resolution on Sri Lanka appeared in the final list of draft resolutions circulated by the Secretariat of the Human Rights Council on September 24.

There will be no reference to any draft resolution or proposal on Sri Lanka in the official records of the ongoing Sixth Session of the Council.

According to the rules governing the submission of draft proposals and resolutions in the Human Rights Council, the draft resolution on Sri Lanka tabled by the EU last year is no longer a living document and as such, there will be no reference to it in this or any of the forthcoming sessions of the Council.

In view of the above, the assertions made by some newspapers in Sri Lanka that the EU had "deferred" the resolution on Sri Lanka are baseless and misleading.

Many delegations, including India, Japan, South Africa, Indonesia and Bangladesh, in their interventions to the Council were appreciative of the initiatives of Sri Lanka in the promotion and protection of human rights.

No support was expressed for any action on Sri Lanka by the Asian, African, Latin American and Eastern European Groups of States and cross-regional Groups of States such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).

The Sri Lankan case was also well received within the Group of Western States, which includes the USA.