UNHRC Resolutions and the Involvement of External Actors over the Treatment of Minorities in Sri Lanka

Abstract

It has become a matter of international interest that 12 years after the Civil War ended, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has not addressed the accusations of human rights violations and alleged war crimes or facilitated the reconciliation process. The GoSL continues to maintain the present status quo where the minorities are intimidated and alienated rather than effect change via active participation despite the numerous United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolutions adopted to promote reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka. This article discusses how concern over the treatment of minorities has prompted external actors to be involved in pressuring the GoSL to commit to upholding the UNHRC Resolutions adopted and revised since the end of the Civil War in Sri Lanka. The study has found that the present political leadership in Sri Lanka is unable to address the Human rights violations happening across the country. In a changing geopolitical environment, the external actors are trying to promote their own national interests in South Asia and the Indo-pacific, while the minority ethnic and religious communities of Sri Lanka are still at the receiving end of large-scale internal conflicts and human rights violations.