Pillay submitted 4 year plan on Sri Lanka

Sunday, 27 April 2014 

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay has reportedly included Sri Lanka in a four year plan submitted to member states of the UN in Geneva.

The High Commissioner’s four year plan would result in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) focussing on Sri Lanka till 2017.

In the four year plan, Pillay notes that between 2014 and 2017 the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will work towards sustain engagement by the international community, specifically the Human Rights Council, on issues of impunity, accountability and reconciliation for past and present human rights violations in Sri Lanka.
The goal for the ‘OHCHR Management Plan 2014-2017’ is to make the most of the resources in implementing the human rights mandate of the United Nations.

According to media reports, Pillay has said with regard to Sri Lanka that her office will be involved in monitoring and reporting, capacity-building and providing advisory services, advocacy and awareness-raising.
She has also proposed that UN Country team members use the recommendations of the Guidance Note of the Secretary-General on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities in the implementation of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Pillars as well as other UN joint programmes.

“By 2017, OHCHR expects to have contributed to the achievement of the results outlined on the table, in support of national efforts in the different thematic priority areas (colour scheme). OHCHR will pursue these behavioural, institutional and legislative changes in cooperation with relevant partners, using the different strategic tools at its disposal – monitoring and reporting, capacity-building and advisory services, advocacy and awareness-raising (see chapter one) – on the basis of an assessment of the specific context. It is expected that if achieved, these results will contribute to improving the dutybearers’ compliance with their international human rights obligations and to the rights-holders’ ability to claim their rights and thereby to the enjoyment of all rights for all in Sri Lanka,” the section on Sri Lanka in the document has reportedly stated.

Pillay’s report has noted that a number of significant human rights developments related to Sri Lanka had taken place during the period 2011-2013 and this included the Panel of Experts established to advise the UN Secretary-General on accountability issues with respect to the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka issuing their report in April 2011, while in December 2011, the government-established Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) published a report with far-reaching recommendations towards reconciliation and strengthening of the rule of law.

“UNCT (The UN Country Team) provided a joint submission to the UPR in 2012 and a new United Nations Development Framework (UNDAF) was launched in 2012 for the period of 2013-2018. The UN maintains a joint programme of support to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, which has gradually begun to recover its vitality,” the High Commissioner has stated.