A/HRC/43/19 I. Introduction 1. The present update is submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to Council resolution 40/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, which was adopted by consensus, and further to Council resolutions 30/1 and 34/1. In its resolution 40/1, the Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to continue to assess progress on the implementation of its recommendations and other relevant processes relating to reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, and to present a written update to the Human Rights Council at its forty-third session, and a comprehensive report, to be followed by a discussion on the implementation of resolution 30/1, at its forty-sixth session. 2. In its resolution 40/1, the Human Rights Council requested the Government of Sri Lanka to implement fully the measures identified by the Council in its resolution 30/1 that were outstanding. In the present update, OHCHR reviews the progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka in implementing resolution 30/1, particularly during the period from January 2019 to January 2020. In line with past practice, OHCHR invited the Government to provide information for the preparation of the present update. In a note verbale dated 5 February 2020, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva informed OHCHR that the Government did not wish to provide information. The Government also did not provide comments on the draft report shared by OHCHR, and indicated that it would respond to the report during its presentation to the Council. An OHCHR delegation visited Sri Lanka in January 2020 to engage with the Government as part of the preparation of the present update. 3. The present update should be read in conjunction with the reports of OHCHR on Sri Lanka (A/HRC/34/20, A/HRC/37/23 and A/HRC/40/23), the oral update of the High Commissioner to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-fourth session,1 the comprehensive report of OHCHR on Sri Lanka (A/HRC/30/61) and the detailed findings of the OHCHR investigation thereof.2 4. Sri Lanka is at an important juncture following the election, on 16 November 2019, of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the seventh executive President. The election results, while decisive, reflected an electorate highly polarized along ethnic lines. On 21 November 2019, Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as Prime Minister, and the new Cabinet was appointed. Parliamentary elections are expected in the first half of 2020. The Government has signalled its intention to review the commitments made under resolution 30/1. 5. The President campaigned on a manifesto that highlighted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In a speech to Parliament on 3 January 2020, he declared that he wanted Sri Lanka to be at the global forefront in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. The Government appears to be prioritizing development as a way to deal with the past. The 2030 Agenda includes Sustainable Development Goal 16, to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. A commitment to human rights, justice, accountability and transparency – all of which are recognized as prerequisites for an enabling environment in which people are able to live freely, securely and prosperously – underpins the 2030 Agenda. 6. The High Commissioner therefore considers that implementation of the measures contained in resolution 30/1 are essential for achieving a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka. In the resolution, the Human Rights Council sets out a comprehensive road map to promote reconciliation and accountability and, and to strengthen the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Many of the core elements of the resolution evolved through a national process, including under the previous administrations. The cosponsorship by Sri Lanka of the resolution therefore represented a landmark commitment to 1 2 2 See conference room paper A/HRC/32/CRP.4. Available at www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/ regularsessions/session32/pages/listreports.aspx. See conference room paper A/HRC/30/CRP.2. Available at www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/ pages/oisl.aspx.