Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to UN Resolution 46/1, what steps he is taking to protect human rights in Sri Lanka.

The UK Government, alongside our partners in the Core Group on Sri Lanka, has led international efforts over many years to promote accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka, including at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). On 23 March the UNHRC adopted a new UK-led resolution, 46/1. This resolution provides a continued framework for international engagement on human rights in Sri Lanka, and highlights serious concerns about the situation, including those detailed in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability and human rights, and stresses the importance of a comprehensive accountability process for all violations and abuses committed in Sri Lanka.

The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has raised the importance of accountability, justice and reconciliation on several occasions with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner and the former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, most recently during calls on 10 May and 17 June respectively. We continue to engage with the government of Sri Lanka on these important issues.