Lanka to brief UNHRC on post war situation
September 12, 2011 11:03 am
Sri Lanka is to brief the International Human Rights Council at its opening session today in Geneva on the record of protection of human rights in Sri Lanka. The 18th regular session of the UNHRC will be held from 12 to 30 September 2011 at the HRC headquarters in Geneva.
The Sri Lankan delegation is to make a special statement on the transparent policies followed by the government to protect human rights.
The government has appointed a five-member delegation headed by Plantation Minister and Special Human Rights Envoy Mahinda Samarasinghe to address the 18th session of the Human Rights Council.
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up of 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.
The other members of the delegation include Ministers Prof. G. L. Peiris, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and government parliamentarian supervising the External Affairs Ministry Sajin de Vaas Gunawardena. Minister Samarasinghe is scheduled to address the Human Rights Council today.
Minister Samarasinghe has said the government hopes to inform the international community about the post war development activities in the country and obtain their assistance. “We hope to develop the Northern areas and bring normalcy to the area. Not only that we hope to develop the whole nation by uniting the Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers.
By lifting the state of emergency we have sent a message to the whole world stating that we have not stalled in one place after the end of the war,” Minister Samarasinghe has said, the Government Information Department reports.
