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The government of Sri Lanka recently invited Pablo de Greiff, UN Special Rapporteur for Truth, Justice, Reparations and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence, to visit Sri Lanka and advise the government on a Task Force recently established to carry out consultations with all stakeholders on transitional justice mechanisms. The Special Rapporteur visited Sri Lanka from January 26 until February 1, 2016, and met with religious leaders and civil society members in the capital Colombo as well as in the Northern City of Jaffna. After concluding his visit, the Special Rapporteur emphasized that consultations are critical in acknowledging respect for the victims, ensuring a close fit between victim needs and transitional justice programs, and to develop a policy of inclusivity based on human rights. While welcoming Sri Lanka’s Task Force, the Special Rapporteur also cautioned that the proposed process appears to be rushed. He emphasized that the consultative process must initiate a long period of communication between the government and stakeholders, and that the international community at this stage desires sincere long-term engagement rather than rapid results that might prove unsustainable in the long run.

Read the Special Rapporteur’s full remarks here.