Focus: GS-II International Relations
Why in news?
Sri Lanka on 27th February formally notified the UN Human Right Council that it was withdrawing from the UN resolution on post-war accountability and reconciliation – statement at the High-Level Segment at the ongoing UNHRC session.
History of Sri Lanka’s UNHRC Resolution
- In 2015, six years after Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war ended, the UNHRC adopted a consensus resolution, asking Colombo to probe allegations of large-scale rights abuses.
- The resolution, which Sri Lanka co-sponsored, was at that time widely seen as a bold commitment to Sri Lankans and the international community.
- Amid Tamil leaders’ growing concern over the pace at which Colombo implemented the resolution, Sri Lanka in 2017 sought an extension for two more years to fulfil its commitments.
- In 2019 the Council approved giving another two years for Sri Lanka to take forward a credible probe into the alleged rights violations.