Source: http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/conferences/hrc2006/four/hrc070321am-eng.rm?start=00:50:15&end=00:53:13

Human Rights Council
Fourth Session
March 21, 2007

Sri Lanka

Thank you, Mr. President.  My delegation wishes to thank the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on the human rights of the internally displaced persons for his statement.  We are working closely with Mr. Kälin and his office to finalize details of his impending visit to Sri Lanka.  

We wish to assure the Council that the government of Sri Lanka is doing all that needs to be done with regard to IDP’s and working closely with UN agencies and other international organizations in this regard.  The Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights is currently working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on formulating guidelines for confidence-building and stabilization measures for IDP’s.  It is intended that these guidelines will lead to a specific result-oriented program of action that can be effectively and efficiently implemented.  The guidelines envision a two-prong approach.  One through effective protection, monitoring, and interventions, stabilize the IDP population and build confidence between communities on the one hand and ___ the communities, the civil administration, the armed forces, and other law enforcement agencies on the other hand.  Secondly, to ensure restoration of necessary infrastructure and services in place of return to enable IDP’s to return voluntarily and resettle.  The first objective will be conducted in support of, and in collaboration with, the government of Sri Lanka, with the government taking the lead to ensure that the armed forces and law enforcement agencies provide protection and other assistance to the displaced population.  The second objective will bring in other humanitarian actors along with UNHCR, the government of Sri Lanka and the other non-state actors involved in the conflict to ensure the restoration of necessary infrastructure and services in place of return.  As the overall objective is to stabilize the IDP population until conditions are conducive to return, activities are to be carried out in the short and immediate term with the expectation that voluntary return will increase over time while confidence-building measures are positively impacting on them.  

Thank you, Mr. President.