A/HRC/37/17 7. The delegation expressed the Government’s commitment to a process of truthseeking, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. Sri Lanka had worked with all parties concerned to adopt by consensus Human Rights Council resolution 30/1, which it had co-sponsored. The resolution envisaged the setting up of a permanent office on missing persons, a truth-seeking commission, a judicial mechanism with a special counsel, and a reparations office. Sri Lanka had also worked with the Council members to have the timeline for resolution 30/1 extended by two years, through the adoption by consensus of resolution 34/1 in March 2017. The delegation also stressed that investigations into allegations pertaining to human rights and humanitarian law violations during the conflict would not unfairly target or punish security forces specifically, but would be carried out through judicial processes, respecting due process. 8. Sri Lanka noted that it had intensified its engagement and cooperation both with special procedures and with treaty bodies. Since the last universal periodic review, Sri Lanka had participated in six reviews by treaty bodies, and the review by the Committee on the Rights of the Child was scheduled for January 2018. In December 2015, Sri Lanka had extended a standing invitation to all thematic special procedures. Eight thematic special procedure mandate holders and working groups had visited Sri Lanka since the last universal periodic review, with six of them being received since January 2015. Moreover, members of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention were visiting from 4 to 15 December 2017, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression was visiting early in 2018. The delegation noted that the previous United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had visited Sri Lanka in 2013 and the current High Commissioner had visited in February 2016, and that the Secretary-General of the United Nations had visited in September 2016. 9. During the period under review, Sri Lanka had become a State party to a number of international instruments. On 14 November 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers had approved the country’s accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The delegation reported that the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka would be appointed as the national preventive mechanism. Sri Lanka had formally withdrawn its reservation to article 29 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants Workers and Members of Their Families, and had withdrawn all derogations notified under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by November 2015. A declaration had been made under article 22 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment recognizing the competence of the Committee against Torture to receive individual communications. 10. Sri Lanka highlighted the enactment of the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution, in May 2015. That amendment had reduced the powers of the Executive President, strengthened the independence of key institutions with the objective of depoliticizing the public service, reduced the President’s term of office, restored the twoterm limit of the executive presidency, reduced Parliament’s term and curtailed the President’s power to dissolve Parliament, among other things. The independence of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka had also been strengthened following the enactment of the nineteenth amendment. 11. Sri Lanka reported the enactment by Parliament of the Assistance to and Protection of Victims of Crime and Witnesses Act, in February 2015, which provided for the payment of compensation to victims of crime and established a special fund for that purpose, and also of the Right to Information Act, which had come into operation on 3 February 2017. 12. Sri Lanka noted the regulations and measures for the eradication of child labour, including through a Special Presidential Task Force for the Protection of Children under the direct purview of the President. In June 2016, the President had signed a pledge on zero tolerance of child labour. 13. Sri Lanka noted that it had made, and continued to make, efforts to provide internally displaced persons with durable solutions. The Cabinet of Ministers had approved the National Policy on Durable Solutions for Conflict-Affected Displacement, in August 2016. 3