( American Ambassador to UNHRC at the Sri Lanka informal meeting)
The United States Department of State noted that the resolution on Sri Lanka is a key U.S. outcome at the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The U.S. is the main sponsor of the consensus resolution “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” adopted at the UNHRC last month.
The State Department in a statement noted that the U.S.-led resolution, which Sri Lanka co-sponsored, highlights the Sri Lankan government’s efforts to advance respect for human rights and strengthen good governance since January 2015.
It further said that the resolution encourages the reform of domestic laws to facilitate accountability for past crimes related to the Sri Lankan civil war, affirms the importance of the participation of foreign judges and prosecutors in domestic accountability mechanisms, and requests further reporting by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The State Department noted that the outcomes of the 30th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva underscored the importance of robust U.S. engagement at the Council, where the United States continues to work with countries from all regions to address urgent human rights concerns.