Himalee to lead delegation during UN review of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s envoy to the United Nations in Geneva, Himalee Arunatilaka will lead a delegation in Geneva when Sri Lanka’s National Report comes up for consideration at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The Foreign Ministry said that Sri Lanka’s National Report under the 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) comes up for consideration by the UN Working Group on UPR on Wednesday 1^st February 2023 during its 42^nd Session to be held in Geneva.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) in 2006, as a State-driven voluntary peer-review process which provides the opportunity for each State to declare the steps taken at the national level to improve the human rights situation in that State and to fulfill their human rights obligations.

At the UPR, all 193 Member States of the UN are reviewed without any selectivity or discrimination. It is periodic and is repeated every four-and half years. 3 sessions are held each year and 14 countries are reviewed in one session. As such, each Member State of the UN is reviewed every 4 years.

All UN member States, including Sri Lanka, have participated in 3 cycles of the UPR namely, in 2008 (first), 2012 (second) and 2017 (third).

The 4^th Cycle of the UPR commenced in November 2022 and Sri Lanka’s Fourth UPR is scheduled for 01 February 2023 during the 42^nd session of the UPR Working Group, in Geneva. The following countries will also be reviewed under the UPR’s 4^th cycle at the 42^nd Working Group, during the period 23 January to 3 February 2023: Argentina, Benin, Czechia, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Japan, Pakistan, Peru, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and Zambia.

“Sri Lanka’s National Report under the 4^th Cycle of the UPR was submitted on 22 December 2022 and provides a self-assessment on the steps taken since the last UPR in November 2017, to fulfill our voluntarily undertaken human rights obligations. The process of preparation of the National Report was undertaken under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Broad consultations were held with stakeholders from government and non-governmental organizations as well as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Sri Lanka’s National Report is available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/lk-index

This year’s Review will take place in a hybrid format. Due to the 75^th Anniversary of Independence celebrations falling during the same period, Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Review will be led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry by means of a pre-recorded video statement.

The in-person delegation will be led by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Himalee Arunatilaka and comprise senior officials from the Presidential Secretariat, the Attorney-General’s Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva. (Colombo Gazette)