Accepting an invitation extended by the Government in February 2015, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein will undertake a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner will arrive in Sri Lanka on the morning of Saturday 6 February and depart on the morning of 10 February.
During the visit, he will call on President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan and have meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera and several other ministers as well as senior Government officials, civil society representatives, the tri-service chiefs, members of the diplomatic community in Colombo and the National Human Rights Commission.
On 7 and 8 February, the High Commissioner will visit Jaffna and Trincomalee where he will meet with the Governors and Chief Ministers of the Northern and Eastern Provinces respectively. He will also meet civil society representatives, victims of alleged human rights violations and the displaced.
The High Commissioner will meet with religious leaders in different locations.
Substantive discussions during the visit will include measures to strengthen, promote and protect human rights, as well as steps being taken to implement the provisions of Resolution 30/1 titled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’ which was adopted by the Human Rights Council on 1 October with the co-sponsorship of Sri Lanka.
For further queries please contact the UN Office in Colombo (+94 (0) (77) 4448401 info.lk@one.un.org)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
4 February 2016
