By Sri Lanka has told the UN Human Rights Council that double standards, which contribute to the politicisation of human rights, cannot be condoned.
Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, addressing the 55th session of the Human Rights Council on Friday, said that UNHCR is politicising human rights.
“We cannot condone the continuing double standards of some sectors that provide no tangible relief to the grievances of people but only contribute to the politicisation of human rights.”
The Ambassador, was referring to the situation of GAZA while defending against a string of allegations made by UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk earlier during the session.
“Being sensitive to the economic hardships faced by the people, social safety nets have been strengthened to help cushion the impact of the challenges on the poor and vulnerable,” she said.
“Sri Lanka is committed to pursuing progress through already established domestic mechanisms,” said Arunathilaka ..
She explained that consultations on the draft Truth, Unity and Reconciliation Commission bill were ongoing. An interim-Secretariat, to lay the foundation for the commission, has already been established since May 2023 and continues its work.
The work of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) is ongoing. Progress was made in tracing missing persons in 2023 as the OMP’s Tracing Unit found 16 persons alive, and confirmed three deceased. 1,313 families received Certificate of Absence (CoA) and steps have been taken to extend the validity period until 2028, she said.
