UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Jaffna & Trincomalee next week

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk who will undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka from  June 23 to 26 is scheduled to visit Jaffna and Trincomalee during his three day visit. 

This marks the first visit by a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Sri Lanka since February 2016.

 

During the visit, the High Commissioner is scheduled to call on the President and the Prime Minister. He will also hold meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, several other Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, senior Government officials, religious leaders, representatives of civil society, members of the diplomaticf community, and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, according to a statement issued by Foreign Ministry. 

 

As part of the programme, the High Commissioner will travel to Kandy where he will pay respects to The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and call on the Chief Prelates of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters. He will also travel to Jaffna and Trincomalee where he will meet with the Governors of the Northern and Eastern Provinces as well. 

 

Substantive discussions during the visit will focus on further advancing the promotion and protection of human rights and reconciliation, in line with the Government of Sri Lanka’s ongoing constructive engagement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, according to statement by the Ministry.