‘Human Rights Compliance: An Explanation of Country Differences’ presentation by Gehan Gunatilleke t

A presentation titled ‘Human Rights Compliance: An Explanation of Country Differences’ by Gehan Gunatilleke will be held today, 1 September, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Verité Research, Conference Room.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process was introduced to ensure the ‘fair scrutiny’ of UN member states on their human rights performance. This process was introduced in the context of considerable criticism of the former UN Commission on Human Rights due to its ostensible selectivity and politicisation. The UPR was intended to remedy these defects. Hence ‘constructive engagement’ and ‘non-confrontation’ emerged as the defining features of this new procedure.  

This seminar examines the UPR’s defining features and assesses the extent to which the UPR process has contributed to the global advancement of human rights. The seminar is presented in three parts. The first part examines statistical evidence from a number of regional blocs and discusses the contribution the UPR process has made towards transforming adversarial discussions into persuasive dialogues. 

The second part presents a counternarrative based on the Sri Lankan experience. The final part discusses the theory of diffusion and points out that the effectiveness of the UPR process has thus far been contingent on certain pre-existing conditions, such as a strong regional discourse on human rights. It accordingly advocates for greater focus on creating and strengthening regional discourses for the promotion and protection of human rights. 

Gehan Gunatilleke, Research Director, is a lawyer and academic specialising in international human rights and public law. He is a former advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Sri Lanka) on international human rights treaty compliance. Gehan’s recent publications include ‘Confronting the Complexity of Loss: Perspectives on Truth, Memory and Justice in Sri Lanka’ (2015) and ‘The Chronic and the Acute: Post-War Religious Violence in Sri Lanka’ (2015). He was a Fulbright scholar at Harvard Law School, and is currently a Commonwealth scholar at New College, University of Oxford.

Verite Research is located at No. 5A, Police Park Place, Colombo 5.