UN human rights chief comments on meeting with Prime Minister in Davos

GENEVA / COLOMBO (26 January 2017) -- Commenting on recent reports appearing in Sri Lankan media on his meeting with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in Davos on 18 January, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Thursday that the meeting had been “amicable and constructive.”

“We covered a range of human rights issues,” Zeid said, noting that he had expressed appreciation for the consultation undertaken by the Consultation Taskforce on Reconciliation Mechanisms and the thoroughness of its report.

“At the same time, I expressed my concern at the slow progress in a number of areas, especially those relating to accountability, and informed the Prime Minister that this and other issues of concern will be reflected in the report I will be presenting to the Human Rights Council in March,” the High Commissioner said.

In September 2015, the Office of the High Commissioner was requested by the UN Human Rights Council – the Geneva-based intergovernmental body composed of 47 Member States – to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes related to reconciliation, accountability and human rights, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council in June 2016 as well as “a comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of the present resolution” at the forthcoming session of the Council in March 2017.

ENDS