The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) concluded its second visit to Sri Lanka on June 24, 2026, following a 10‑day mission that included meetings with government leaders, justice officials, civil society representatives and the Human Rights Commission. 

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the four‑member delegation acknowledged Sri Lanka’s commitment to preventing torture, praised the government’s facilitation of unhindered access to detention centres, and presented preliminary observations during a debriefing session with stakeholders. 

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) engaged in its second visit to Sri Lanka from 15 to 24 June 2026. During the visit, the four-member delegation of the SPT met the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, and the Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara.  

At the meeting held on 15 June 2026, the two Ministers highlighted the Government’s zero-tolerance policy towards torture and reaffirmed its firm commitment to the protection of human rights, and to constructive engagement with treaty bodies in a spirit of cooperation and dialogue. 

As part of its mandate, the SPT delegation also met senior officials representing key ministries, departments and institutions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism on 15 June 2026.  

The meeting, which was co-chaired at senior official level by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism and the Ministry of Justice and National Integration, included representatives of the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs; the Ministry of Defence; the Ministry of Health and Mass Media; the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs; the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment; the Attorney General’s Department; the Sri Lanka Police; the Department of Prisons; the Department of Probation and Child Care Services; the Department of Immigration and Emigration; the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board; and the Bureau of Rehabilitation. 

At the discussions, the stakeholders elaborated on the legislative, administrative and institutional reforms and measures that have been undertaken, and those currently in progress, to ensure effective implementation of the Government’s policy on the prevention of torture. 

During the visit, the SPT delegation also met the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), which serves as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT); the Judicial Service Commission; and  representatives of civil society organizations. 

A debriefing session was held with Government stakeholders at the conclusion of the visit on 23 June 2026, during which the SPT delegation presented its preliminary observations.  The SPT acknowledged Sri Lanka’s commitment to the prevention of torture and ill treatment, appreciated the facilitation of unhindered access to detention centres and the cooperation received from the Government throughout the visit.  

Sri Lanka engaged with the Subcommittee in an open, constructive and transparent manner, consistent with its policy of cooperation with the United Nations, and in fulfilment of its treaty body obligations undertaken voluntarily. 

The SPT delegation comprised Aisha Shujune Muhammad (Maldives), Head of Delegation; Jakub Julian Czepek (Poland); Anica Tomsic (Croatia); and Nika Kvaratskhelia (Georgia). The delegation was accompanied by officials of the SPT Secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

This was the second visit undertaken by the SPT, since its first visit to Sri Lanka in April 2019, following the country’s accession to the OPCAT in December 2017. (Newswire)

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Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman was elected President of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session on Tuesday after defeating Andreas Kakouris of Cyprus in a closely contested vote, positioning himself to steer the world body through a pivotal year marked by intensifying global crises, UN reform efforts and major leadership transitions. 

In a secret-ballot election, Rahman secured 99 votes to Kakouris’s 91. A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions.

The presidency rotates among the UN’s five regional groups, and the 81st session falls to the Asia-Pacific group. Rahman will serve a one-year term starting on 8 September.  

His presidency will coincide with one of the most consequential processes on the UN calendar: the selection of Secretary-General António Guterres’s successor, whose term ends on 31 December 2026.

Rahman brings more than four decades of diplomatic and multilateral experience to the role. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister since February, he previously served as National Security Adviser and High Representative on the Rohingya Issue.  

A career diplomat, he joined Bangladesh’s foreign service in 1979. He also held senior UN positions in New York and Geneva.

Accepting the position, Rahman said he was taking on the role “with humility and respect” at a moment when confidence in the international system was under strain.

“The UN will commence its ninth decade at a time when trust in our organization is being tested on multiple fronts,” he told Member States.

“Taken together, these challenges tend to undermine the public trust and confidence in the ability of our organization to deliver its promises.”

Rahman said his presidency would focus on six broad priorities: peace and security; accelerating progress on the SDGs; climate action and environmental protection; human rights; governance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and UN reform.

Drawing on Bangladesh’s experience in peacekeeping, he pledged to support preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding and civilian protection.

He also highlighted the need to address development financing gaps, advance implementation of the Global Digital Compact and strengthen the UN’s effectiveness at a time of growing pressure on multilateral institutions.

The election comes amid what the current General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock described as an exceptionally difficult period for multilateral diplomacy.

Addressing Member States after the vote, Baerbock said the UN was facing “not only headwinds, but immense pressure,” with consensus increasingly difficult to achieve and defence of the UN Charter becoming “a daily necessity.”

“The role of the president of the General Assembly is no longer simply procedural,” she said.

The General Assembly is the UN’s most representative body, bringing together all 193 Member States, each with one vote. While its resolutions are generally not legally binding, the Assembly serves as the principal forum for international deliberation on peace and security, development, human rights and international law.

The 81st session will open on 8 September, with world leaders gathering two weeks later for the annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York. (UN)

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has met United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). 

The meeting took place at the Human Rights Council Chamber of the UN Secretariat in the US last afternoon. 

According to President Dissanayake, during the meeting, he reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s engagement on human rights.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, is currently in the USA to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. (Newswire)

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The United Nations in Sri Lanka has issued a statement regarding a fraudulent report falsely attributed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) circulating online.

The deceptive document discusses electoral issues and is not endorsed or produced by any UN agency, it was revealed.

“It has come to our attention that a fraudulent report on the presidential elections in Sri Lanka, falsely attributed to UNHCR, is being circulated. This is a fabricated document and has no connection to UNHCR’s humanitarian mandate or our work in Sri Lanka,” the UN in Sri Lanka said. (Newswire)

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