Adoption of UNHRC resolution with minimal opposition is an encouraging sign to promote human rights and accountability in SL: GTF

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF), an umbrella organization of Tamil diaspora groups said it  wholeheartedly welcomes the adoption of resolution 46/1 at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The government rejected this resolution, however even all the neighbouring countries did not support that position.

“It is significant that the majority of the Latin American countries and all of the European countries voted in favour of the resolution. Majority of the African countries, the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the Asian countries did not support the position taken by the Government of Sri Lanka,” the GTF said in a statement.

It is particularly pleasing that the countries voted in favour cover all regions across the globe and several countries who would have traditionally voted against such a resolution recognised the criticality of the situation in Sri Lanka and decided to abstain. “It is indeed encouraging for victims of human rights abuses across the world that UNHRC continues to offer hope, even if the process of seeking justice is painstaking and arduous,”

The current process towards this important outcome commenced with the report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, which powerfully articulated that ‘Sri Lanka is on an alarming path towards recurrence of human rights violations’ and called for urgent action from the international community, GTF noted.

The High Commissioner’s call was ably converted into resolution 46/1 by the core group of countries under the leadership of the UK, which in fact is a pragmatic outcome balancing the highly concerning developments in Sri Lanka with challenging geopolitical reality. Strengthening OHCHR’s capacity to collect, consolidate, analyse, and preserve information and evidence, and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes, with sufficient budgetary and manpower support is a critical and welcoming new dimension in this resolution.

GTF also expressed its appreciation and gratitude to all progressive forces that made this current outcome possible – the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, the core group of countries, all countries who voted for and/or co-sponsored the resolution, the countries that abstained without voting against the resolution, eminent persons and dedicated human rights organisations who championed the cause, and more importantly the victims of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka who despite the time elapsed and the risks involved, continue to provide inspiration by bravely fighting for human rights and accountability.

“Tamils are grateful to the Government of India for supporting an escalation of the Tamil demand for equality, justice (accountability), dignity and peace at a multilateral international forum like the UNHRC. By specifying India’s support to the international community calling on the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitments to devolve political power to the Tamils and to allow those devolved powers to be operationalised effectively according to the 13th amendment of the constitution is very significant,” the statement said.