Colombo | A group of countries led by the UK has called on Sri Lanka to translate its stated commitment to human rights and institutional reforms into "concrete action" and address unresolved cases of enforced disappearances.

The call came during discussions on Sri Lanka at the ongoing 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Tuesday, following consideration of a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the country's human rights situation.

The Sri Lanka Core Group, comprising Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the UK, welcomed what it described as the High Commissioner's balanced assessment of the situation.

It acknowleged the current government's anti-corruption measures and steps taken for reopening of cases on high profile rights abuse from the past, political killings and enforced disappearances.

The group, however, said considerably more action was needed to build confidence in the government's accountability and reconciliation efforts.

"It is crucial that the government's stated commitment to reform is translated into concrete progress," the group said.

The joint statement was delivered by Eleanor Sanders, the UK's Human Rights Ambassador.

The Core Group said progress in several emblematic cases has not yet been accompanied by a comprehensive, victim-centred accountability process to address past violations.

"Mass grave excavations are a stark reminder that thousands of cases of enforced disappearances remain unresolved. And reports of intimidation, harassment, and restrictions affecting civil society, journalists and victims' groups, including in the North and East, still raise concerns," it said.

The group urged the government to advance democratic governance through transparent and inclusive consultations that address the concerns of all affected communities.

It called for legal and institutional reforms, resolution of land-related disputes, respect for human rights in detention facilities and strengthening of independent institutions.

Sri Lanka in its response resisted calls for externally imposed accountability mechanisms and instead defended a nationally owned judicial and reconciliation process to deal with allegations of past rights violations.

The UNHRC also renewed its call for the repeal of Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), a controversial counter-terrorism law that rights groups have long criticised over alleged arbitrary arrests and prolonged detention.

The issue of land held by the military in the Northern and Eastern provinces also remains a longstanding concern in the country's post-war reconciliation process.

The latest UN scrutiny comes against the backdrop of Sri Lanka's efforts to pursue reforms while dealing with significant economic and social challenges, including the impact of severe weather events and global energy shocks.

The latest discussions could also set the stage for further action by the Human Rights Council when the current session concludes next month, although it is not yet clear whether the report and the Core Group's statement will lead to another resolution on Sri Lanka.

The Council has adopted nine resolutions on human rights, accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka since 2012, with the most recent adopted in October 2024.

Sri Lanka's human rights record has remained under international scrutiny since the end of its nearly three-decade civil war in 2009, particularly over allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other abuses during and after the conflict.

According to the UN human rights body, hundreds of people were tortured, forcibly disappeared, abducted, and killed by government security forces and non-state armed groups during the decades-long civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).