GoSL officially withdraws from UNHRC resolutions 30/1 & 40/1

Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardene officially informed the United Nations Human Rights Council of the Sri Lankan Government's decision to withdraw from the process of co-sponsorship of resolutions 30/1 and 40/1. In his statement, the Minister said the previous government in January 2015 jettisoned the home-grown reconciliation process which was bearing fruit and in an unprecedented move in the annals of the Human Rights Council, and contrary to Sri Lanka’s stance on country specific resolutions, the government at the time co-sponsored the UNHRC resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka. Substantively, the previous government “noted with appreciation”, the much flawed OISL Report, which was used as the basis not only for Resolution 30/1, but also to unjustly vilify the heroic Sri Lankan security forces, possibly the only national security establishment that defeated terrorism in recent times. This was despite there being an abundance of evidence to the contrary, contained in; – domestic reports such as the LLRC and the ‘Paranagama Commission’ – information presented before the UK House of Lords by Lord Naseby, challenging among other things the vastly exaggerated civilian casualty figures, – other reports from the UN and international agencies including the ICRC – as well as exposed diplomatic cables. Constitutionally, the resolution seeks to cast upon Sri Lanka obligations that cannot be carried out within its constitutional framework and it infringes the sovereignty of people of Sri Lanka and violates the basic structure of the Constitution. This is another factor that has prompted Sri Lanka to reconsider its position on co-sponsorship. The Foreign Minister went on to note, in co-sponsoring Resolution 30/1, the previous Government violated all democratic principles of governance. He said the commitments made, bound the country to carry out this experiment, which was impractical, unconstitutional and un-deliverable, despite strong opposition and evidence that many of the undertakings couldn’t be carried out, merely to please a few countries. Dinesh Gunwardena went on to note, it is ironic that, in March 2019, the previous government which co-sponsored Resolution 30/1 in October 2015, began the process of dismantling its dictates through the statement, made in this Council by my predecessor, which acknowledged the very real constraints that had been ignored 4 years before at the time of co-sponsoring this resolution. That statement sought to qualify the parameters of co-sponsorship of the Resolution. The Foreign Minister in his statement went on to say, as President Rajapaksa stated in his address at the 72nd Commemoration of Independence of Sri Lanka, “We will always defend the right of every Sri Lankan citizen to participate in the political and governance processes through his or her elected representatives”. He added, according to the wishes of the people of Sri Lanka, while following a non-aligned, neutral foreign policy, our government is committed to examining issues afresh, to forge ahead with its agenda for ‘prosperity through security and development’, and to find home-grown solutions to overcome contemporary challenges in the best interest of all Sri Lankans. Dinesh Gunawardena speaking to the UNHRC officially said "It is in this context that I wish to place on record, Sri Lanka’s decision to withdraw from co-sponsorship of Resolution 40/1 on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ which also incorporates and builds on preceding Resolutions 30/1 of October 2015 and 34/1 of March 2017". However he said, Sri Lanka remains committed to achieving the goals set by the people of Sri Lanka on accountability and human rights, towards sustainable peace and reconciliation adding Sri Lanka will seek to work towards the closure of the Resolution. For the Complete Statement : https://www.mfa.gov.lk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Media-Release-Statement-full-version.pdf