The Sri Lanka Core Group at the United Nations Human Rights Council has called on the Sri Lankan Government to translate its stated reform commitments into “concrete progress.”
The joint statement was delivered in Geneva on 8 September 2026 by the United Kingdom's Human Rights Ambassador, Eleanor Sanders.
The Core Group comprises:
- Canada
- Malawi
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- United Kingdom
Areas where progress was welcomed
The group welcomed positive developments including:
- Sri Lanka's ratification of ILO Convention 190; and
- engagement relating to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Areas of concern
The statement said further action was required in areas including:
- accountability and reconciliation;
- unresolved enforced disappearances;
- mass-grave investigations;
- protection of civil society, journalists and victims' groups;
- land-related issues;
- human rights in detention institutions;
- democratic governance; and
- strengthening independent institutions.
The Core Group also called for transparent and inclusive consultation in advancing legal and institutional reforms.
These assessments and concerns are the position of the Sri Lanka Core Group.