US calls upon members of the UNHRC to back resolution against Sri Lanka

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on members of the UN Human Rights Council to back a resolution on addressing “the lack of accountability for past atrocities in Sri Lanka”, in an address to the council today. “I’m here to reaffirm America’s commitment to respect and defend the human rights of all people, everywhere,” said Blinken this morning, adding that his government “is placing democracy and human rights at the centre of our foreign policy”. “We encourage the Council to support resolutions at this session addressing issues of concern around the world, including ongoing human rights violations in Syria and North Korea, the lack of accountability for past atrocities in Sri Lanka, and the need for further investigation into the situation in South Sudan,” he continued. His remarks come as a draft of a resolution on accountability in Sri Lanka that was released on Friday. The draft called on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights “to consolidate, analyse and preserve” evidence that could be used in future war crimes trials and called for enhanced “monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka”.