UN Rights Chief Volker Türk concludes official visit to Sri Lanka

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has concluded his four-day official visit to Sri Lanka.
 
During the visit, High Commissioner Türk called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and had constructive discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra and Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara. He also met the Speaker of the Parliament, the Chief Justice and several government representatives.
 
Discussions focused on measures to advance human rights including economic and social rights, strengthening national reconciliation processes and ensuring social justice.
 
During the meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the government reiterated that its sincere commitment to achieving these objectives and briefed on the action already taken and those envisaged, including confidence building measures, the Clean Sri Lanka program, anti-corruption initiatives, further strengthening reconciliation mechanisms, repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act, revising the Online Safety Act and new laws to advance the rights of persons with disabilities, a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism said.
 
During deliberations, the High Commissioner highlighted the momentum of change he witnessed across all segments of the Sri Lankan society.
 
He appreciated the government’s plans on promoting ethical governance, human rights and national unity, and offered the support of his Office to strengthen the government’s initiatives, according to the Foreign Ministry.
 
High Commissioner Türk said that he was encouraged by the government’s measures to address corruption and mismanagement and hoped that the momentum would continue. Noting that the discussions had shown genuine openness to address issues, the High Commissioner stated that Sri Lanka can become an example of peaceful co-existence while embracing its diversity as a strength. The High Commissioner stated that he is visiting Sri Lanka with a deep sense of hope at a time when the world and the multilateral system are facing unprecedented challenges, the statement noted.
 
The High Commissioner also met with several non-government stakeholders including religious leaders, political parties and civil society in Colombo, Jaffna, Trincomalee and Kandy.
 
In Colombo, he engaged with representatives of the national institutions dealing with reconciliation - the Office on Missing Persons, the Office for Reparations and the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation. Representatives briefed High Commissioner Türk on the work of their respective institutions and the progress made in the respective work plans. He also had discussions with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and acknowledged the longstanding work of the Commission.
 
In Kandy, High Commissioner Türk visited the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic where he met
the Chief Custodian and attended the Thewawa ceremony. He also had an audience with the Most Venerable Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thero of the Malwatta Chapter and the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayake Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter.
 
In Jaffna, he visited the sacred Nallur Kovil and participated in religious activities.
 
During his travels to various parts of the country, the High Commissioner met with the Governors of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, District Secretaries, and civil society representatives as well as the public. He also visited the Chemmani grave site in Jaffna.
 
The High Commissioner conveyed his deep gratitude to the government of Sri Lanka for the cooperation extended throughout the visit and appreciated Sri Lanka’s continuing constructive engagement with his Office.

The visit of High Commissioner Türk to Sri Lanka marks the first by a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights since February 2016.