Sri Lanka’s draft resolution on “Enhancing the Meaningful Participation of Youth in Environmental Processes and on Environmental Education” was adopted at the Seventh Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA‑7) in Nairobi.

According to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Nairobi, the resolution, proposed by Sri Lanka, reflects a shared commitment to empowering young people as key partners in addressing global environmental challenges and advancing sustainable development.

The adopted resolution underscores the critical role of youth as agents of change and calls upon Member States, the United Nations Environment Programme, and other stakeholders to provide youth with opportunities for full, effective, meaningful, constructive and inclusive participation in environmental matters and processes at local, national, regional and international levels.

It further emphasizes the importance of enhancing environmental education to equip present and future generations with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to protect the environment and build resilient societies.

Speaking following the adoption, the Sri Lankan delegation highlighted that, as a vulnerable island nation and biodiversity hotspot, Sri Lanka has witnessed firsthand the disproportionate impacts of environmental degradation and climate change on children and youth. 

The resolution, therefore, seeks to ensure that young people are not only beneficiaries of environmental policies, but active contributors to their design, implementation and monitoring.

Sri Lanka expressed its deep appreciation to Bhutan, Burkina Faso and Thailand for their valuable co-sponsorship, and to all Member States that supported the resolution, demonstrating strong global recognition of the importance of intergenerational equity in environmental governance.

The adoption of this resolution at UNEA-7 marks an important step toward institutionalizing youth engagement and strengthening environmental education frameworks worldwide, reinforcing the principle that sustainable environmental solutions must be inclusive, participatory and future-oriented. (Newswire)

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The Human Rights Council’s resolution on Sri Lanka is important for efforts to uphold fundamental rights in the country and to seek justice for past atrocities, Deputy Director for United Nations at Human Rights Watch’s office in Geneva, Lucy McKernan said.  

Issuing a statement, Lucy McKernan said international action is needed in Sri Lanka so long as victims and their families are denied justice. 

“The new government of President Dissanayake should reveal what happened to thousands of victims of enforced disappearance, end security agencies’ harassment of victims and human rights defenders seeking justice, and open credible investigations into alleged crimes that were blocked by previous governments” Lucy McKernan added.

The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday (Oct 09), adopted by consensus a resolution on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, which on September 21 elected a new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The resolution renews for another year the mandate of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to report on ongoing violations and to collect evidence of past and current rights violations and crimes under international law committed in Sri Lanka for use in future prosecutions, including those committed in the 1983-2009 civil war. 

The resolution was presented by a core group consisting of Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka has voted in favour of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza. 

A total of 120 countries, including Sri Lanka voted in favour of the resolution, while 14 countries, including Israel and the United States of America, voted against it.

India, Australia, Germany, Canada, Japan, Ukraine and the UK were among 45 countries that abstained from voting.

Accordingly, the UN General Assembly on Friday adopted the resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza. 

The resolution also demands “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” provision of lifesaving supplies and services for civilians trapped inside the enclave, as news reports suggest Israel has expanded ground operations and intensified its bombing campaign. 

Israel has intensified its bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip as internet and mobile communications services collapsed in the Palestinian territory. An extended series of large explosions lit up the sky over Gaza City after nightfall on Friday.

Israel has bombed the strip relentlessly since Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people.

Israel has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting access to food, water, fuel, and electricity for the enclave’s 2.3 million residents who have few options for seeking refuge.

The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza has published a report listing the names of more than 6,000 “documented deaths” in Gaza since the attack. (NewsWire)

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