Addressing the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, during the Interactive Dialogue (ID) on Sri Lanka on 08 September 2025, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath underlined the commitment and the political will of the Government for transformation in the country and to create a new political culture to advance the rights and well-being of all Sri Lankans. The Minister highlighted the progress made within a short period through the domestic processes towards building national unity and reconciliation while urging the Council to allow Sri Lanka time and space to achieve this objective.
43 countries spoke during the ID including Kuwait on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, the Philippines, Japan, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vanuatu, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nepal, India, Zimbabwe, Viet Nam, China, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Türkiye, Belarus, Egypt, Venezuela, the Maldives, Cuba, South Sudan, the Sudan, the Russian Federation and Burundi.
Expressing solidarity with Sri Lanka, the above countries;
- Welcomed Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with the Human Right Council and the High Commissioner’s visit as a sign of the country’s enhanced cooperation with the Council;
- Acknowledged the significant developments and tangible progress, including ongoing legislative reforms in the country and encouraged the HRC and international community to support Sri Lanka in its nationally-owned processes;
- Questioned the allocation of resources to the external mechanism on Sri Lanka when vital mandates in the Council risk being unfulfilled due to resource constraints;
- Emphasized that externally imposed parallel processes risk polarization;
- Stated that imposition of country specific mechanisms on targeted countries undermines the Human Rights Council’s founding principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, and non-selectivity;
- Expressed concerns at the double standards, politicization and instrumentalization of human rights to interfere into the internal affairs of countries;
- Underlined the importance of constructive dialogue and cooperation within the Council to reach productive results in the promotion of human rights;
High Commissioner Volker Türk appreciated the opportunity, to visit Sri Lanka in June this year, and to have open exchanges across the political spectrum, religious leaders and communities.
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the 60th Human Rights Council in Geneva was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and comprised Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka, Director General/United Nations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dayani Mendis and the diplomatic officers of the Permanent Mission in Geneva.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
Colombo
08 September 2025