UN Human Rights Council
Context:
- India recently abstained from voting on a resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, while observing that Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing commitments on the 13th Amendment, meaningful devolution and early provincial elections remains “inadequate”.
India’s Past Record:
- India which is an immediate neighbour, has done its part with respect to giving aid during the times of crisis including the relief, rehabilitation, resettlement and reconstruction process in Sri Lanka after 2009 and more recently provided “unprecedented assistance” to the people of Sri Lanka to face the challenges of the recent economic crisis.
- In order to help Sri Lanka deal with the economic crisis, India has provided bilateral assistance that can be broadly categorized into two groups: 1) assistance to meet immediate needs; and 2) assistance to Sri Lanka in its efforts to revive the sectors that were negatively impacted by the global pandemic and the foreign reserves crisis.
- The Indian government has offered a package of food, health, and energy security along with support from its foreign reserves totaling more than US$ 3.5 billion to satisfy the urgent needs.
China & Pakistan’s Stand:
- The Council voted to adopt the resolution titled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka” after 20 of its 47 members supported it.
- Seven nations, including China and Pakistan, voted against it, thus supporting the Sri Lankan government, while 20 countries abstained.
- Foreign Minister Ali Sabry of Sri Lanka informed the Council before to the vote that the country’s administration “categorically opposes” the “manifestly unhelpful” resolution.
- He had earlier said that the Council’s resolutions were “all geopolitics” and that it was “polarised.”
Source The Hindu
