The United States has called on Sri Lanka to take “credible and meaningful steps” to address its past, promote reconciliation, and guarantee equal access to justice for all its people.

During a press briefing on Tuesday (March 23), Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State Ms. Jalina Porter urged the Sri Lankan government to safeguard the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, and civil society actors.

Her remarks came after the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted the draft resolution against Sri Lanka tabled by the Core Group, following a vote carried out via electronic procedure at its 46th Regular Session.

Out of the 47 member states of the Council, 22 had voted in favour of the resolution L1/Rev.1 titled “Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka.”

Eleven member states including China, Pakistan and Russian Federation had voted against while 14 including India and Japan abstained from voting. 

Addressing the press briefing, Ms. Porter said: “The United States co-sponsored this resolution and together with the international community calls on Sri Lanka to safeguard the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, human rights defenders, and civil society actors, and to take credible and meaningful steps to address its past, promote reconciliation, and guarantee equal access to justice for all its people.”

She noted that the resolution expands reporting requirements for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and includes a mandate to collect and preserve evidence for future accountability processes and expresses concern about the trends over the past year. 

The long-term security and prosperity of Sri Lanka depend on respecting human rights today and committing to peace and reconciliation for the future, Ms. Porter stressed further.