US draft resolution to be tabled today

Dharisha Bastians reporting from Geneva

The US sponsored draft resolution on Sri Lanka is scheduled to be tabled at the UN Human Rights Council’s 30th Session in Geneva today, after several days of extensive negotiations on the text and strength of its recommendations for the Sri Lankan Government’s judicial mechanism to address allegations of war crimes and human rights violations.

The Sri Lankan Government at the second informal session on the draft resolution, sought extensive revision to the text, recommending the deletion of 14 of 26 operative paragraphs that prescribe action to be taken by the Government to achieve progress on reconciliation and accountability.

The Government delegation which participated in the informal session on Tuesday (22), also sought amendments to several other key areas of the resolution, both in its preambular and operative language.

Daily FT learns that a second draft is currently being negotiated that contains several provisions the Government of Sri Lanka has requested be included in the text.

If Sri Lanka and the core group of member states sponsoring the resolution agree on the language and conclude negotiations on the second draft, it will be tabled at the Council today, Daily FT learns.

The Government of Sri Lanka has raised major objections to the first draft of the resolution that was circulated last week, ahead of Monday’s (21) first informal consultations on the text.

The bare bones resolution the Government mooted at Tuesday’s informal session has irked delegates from other member states, especially from European states and Canada. The delegates from these member states are also digging in their heels and urging that strong language be retained in the resolution, as negotiations continue, Daily FT learns.

US Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Keith Harper told delegates at Tuesday’s informal consultation that the resolution had to reflect the “serious findings” of the OISL report and also acknowledge the changes on the ground in Sri Lanka since January 2015.

Harper said the US would do “everything possible” to achieve consensus on the Sri Lanka resolution. 

The Government of Sri Lanka agreed to collaborate with the US and other sponsors of the resolution to produce a consensual draft that could be adopted in the Council without a vote.  

Harper said the US would do “everything possible” to achieve consensus on the Sri Lanka resolution. 

The deadline for tabling resolutions for the UNHRC’s 30th session ends today (24).