The UK, as part of the Sri Lanka Core Group, has called for Sri Lanka to make concrete progress on human rights reforms. The group, which also includes Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, delivered a joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 8 September 2026.
While welcoming some positive developments, such as the ratification of ILO Convention 190, the Core Group highlighted that more action is needed to build confidence in accountability and reconciliation efforts. The statement noted that a comprehensive, victim-centred accountability process for past violations has not yet accompanied progress in several cases.
Concerns were also raised about unresolved enforced disappearances, with mass grave excavations serving as a reminder of thousands of such cases. Reports of intimidation, harassment, and restrictions affecting civil society, journalists, and victims' groups, particularly in the North and East, were also mentioned.
The Core Group urged Sri Lanka to advance democratic governance through transparent and inclusive consultation processes. This includes progressing legal and institutional reforms, resolving land-related issues, ensuring human rights in detention institutions, and strengthening independent institutions.