Geneva, 17 June 2025 – Speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Sri Lanka Core Group—comprising Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the United Kingdom—delivered a joint statement reaffirming their ongoing concern over Sri Lanka’s human rights situation and reiterating their readiness to engage constructively with the Sri Lankan Government.
Delivering the statement, a representative of the Core Group began by thanking the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and expressing appreciation for the Office’s continued work on Sri Lanka. The Group welcomed the conduct of local elections in May and acknowledged the more peaceful environment surrounding commemorations marking the end of the armed conflict in 2009.
However, the Core Group expressed persistent concerns about the Government of Sri Lanka’s limited progress in fulfilling key commitments related to human rights, accountability, reconciliation, good governance, and constitutional reform.
“We urge the Government to address longstanding impunity and to ensure that journalists, human rights defenders and civil society organisations can operate freely and safely,” the statement noted.
“It is crucial that an inclusive and comprehensive reconciliation and accountability process has the confidence of affected communities.”
The Group also highlighted its concern over the continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), despite the Government’s previous commitments to abolish the controversial legislation. The failure to address unresolved cases of enforced disappearance was also raised, with a call to revitalize the Office on Missing Persons to deliver justice and answers to families who have waited for decades.
In closing, the Core Group reiterated its willingness to engage in good faith with Sri Lanka’s government to support efforts toward sustainable peace, reconciliation, and accountability.
“We reaffirm our willingness to work constructively with the Government on these issues,” the Group concluded.