A/HRC/RES/51/1
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
12 October 2022
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fifty-first session
12 September–7 October 2022
Agenda item 2
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the
High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 6 October 2022
51/1.
Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
reaffirming the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and recalling the International
Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant instruments,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 and Human Rights
Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007,
Recalling also Human Rights Council resolutions 19/2 of 22 March 2012, 22/1 of 21
March 2013, 25/1 of 27 March 2014, 30/1 of 1 October 2015, 34/1 of 23 March 2017, 40/1
of 21 March 2019 and 46/1 of 23 March 2021 on promoting reconciliation, accountability
and human rights in Sri Lanka,
Recalling further that, in its resolution S-11/1 of 27 May 2009, the Human Rights
Council welcomed the resolve of Sri Lanka to begin a broader dialogue with all parties in
order to seek a political settlement and to bring about lasting peace and development in Sri
Lanka based on consensus among and respect for the rights of those from all ethnic and
religious groups, and endorsed the joint communiqué of 26 May 2009 of the President of Sri
Lanka and the Secretary-General, in which the Secretary-General, inter alia, underlined the
importance of an accountability process for addressing violations of international
humanitarian law and human rights law,
Reaffirming its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial
integrity of Sri Lanka,
Reaffirming also that it is the primary responsibility of each State to respect human
rights and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by its
entire population,
Recognizing the severe economic crisis that has deteriorated in Sri Lanka since late
2021, exacerbated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and the profound
impact that this has had on the people of Sri Lanka, including women-led households,
Underscoring the importance of addressing the underlying governance factors and
root causes that have contributed to that crisis, including deepening militarization, lack of
accountability in governance and impunity for serious human rights violations and abuses,
GE.22-16494(E)