Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday briefed Colombo-based diplomats on the progress made by the Government in the field of human rights and reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to working closely with UN agencies.
Speaking at the Foreign Ministry premises ahead of the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on September 8, Minister Herath outlined key initiatives taken by the new administration to foster reconciliation. These include the return of a large extent of land to citizens and measures to strengthen democratic institutions.
He stressed that since assuming office, the Government has not received reports of human rights violations and highlighted that the recent Local Government Elections were conducted in line with election law.
The Minister also noted that the Government, which holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament, represents all communities and includes the highest number of female parliamentarians in Sri Lanka’s history.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo told the Daily News that diplomats were briefed on efforts to strengthen mechanisms linked to the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) and the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR).
Minister Herath further underscored that the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will soon be replaced, while amendments are planned to the Online Safety Act. He emphasized that Sri Lanka remains committed to technical collaboration with UN agencies, while safeguarding national interests.
