The US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka was adopted without a vote by consensus at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, a short while ago. 

The draft resolution - L29 is entitled ‘Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka’ and was co-sponsored by the government of Sri Lanka with 25 additional co-sponsors a the 30th session of the UNHRC.

The adoption of the resolution marked a high point of the current session of the UNHRC which commenced on September 14 and concludes on Friday.

The resolution envisages the establishment of a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism to investigate allegations of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law. The proposed mechanism will include Commonwealth and other foreign judges, defence lawyers and authorised prosecutors and investigators.

There was no voting and there were no last-minute changes in the text of the draft resolution, which was submitted by the sponsors on September 24, according to a spokesperson of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Speaking before the adoption of the resolution, the United Kingdom said that while this is the fourth resolution of this council with this title, it is the first to have received co-sponsorship of the government of Sri Lanka. 

“This is a truly historic development for Sri Lanka and this council,” the UK’s representative said. 

The UK was among the core group of sponsors of the resolution with US, Macedonia and Montenegro.