A/HRC/37/23 7. Welcoming the efforts made by the Government to continue to engage with the special procedures and the treaty bodies, the High Commissioner reiterates the call on the Government to set out a clear plan of action to implement the key recommendations of these human rights mechanisms. On 5 December 2017, Sri Lanka acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, a step in the right direction towards strengthening efforts to prevent torture. The Cabinet of Ministers has identified the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka as the national preventive mechanism for the purpose of compliance with the Optional Protocol. 8. OHCHR continued to provide the Government with technical assistance through its presence in Sri Lanka and the deployment of expert missions. It also provided financial and technical support to the archiving and dissemination of the materials of the 2016 national consultations and the domestic screening processes for military personnel to be deployed in peacekeeping operations. OHCHR also provided advice on the review of the counterterrorism legislation. OHCHR continued advising on various aspects of transitional justice, including through the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, in coordination with the United Nations country team and the Resident Coordinator. OHCHR continued to work closely with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and civil society organizations. III. Developments in reconciliation and accountability A. Overall developments in transitional justice 9. In resolution 30/1, the Human Rights Council expressed support for the commitment by the Government of Sri Lanka to implement a comprehensive transitional justice agenda that would include the establishment of an accountability mechanism, truth-seeking, reparation programmes and institutional reforms. Through resolution 34/1, the Council granted the Government two additional years to demonstrate progress. While acknowledging that transitional justice processes may need longer periods to fully conclude their identified goals and outcomes, the structures and legislative framework for them to function could realistically have been put in place within a 2 1/2-year time frame. 10. The High Commissioner notes that while the institutional architecture has been established only incipiently to take the transitional justice process forward during this time frame, concrete results have yet to be delivered. 11. In a positive step, in October 2017, the mandate of the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms was extended until March 2019.2 While recognizing that this entity has acquired expertise and knowledge, it is of concern that neither it nor the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation 3 have significantly grown in strength or resources since the High Commissioner’s previous report, of March 2017. The several technical working groups tasked with drafting blueprints for the accountability and reconciliation mechanisms were dismantled after submitting their initial drafts, and the results of their efforts have not been made publicly available. The new Interministerial Coordination Committee put in place last year has met only once. A committee of senior officials has been established under the Interministerial Committee and reportedly holds regular meetings. 12. A comprehensive transitional justice strategy, including a clearly defined timeline for implementation, has yet to be made publicly available and consulted. The report of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms, one of the few positive elements highlighted in the previous reports of the High Commissioner, has not yet been endorsed or officially reviewed by the Government or the Parliament. It is of concern that the implementation of these important commitments remains pending. 2 3 4 See www.scrm.gov.lk. See www.onur.gov.lk.