Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha, held a series of high-level meetings at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on April 22 on the proposed deployment of Sri Lankan troops to Haiti under a planned Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
The Defence Secretary met Khaled Khiari, UN Assistant Secretary-General responsible for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific at the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations. He also met Atul Khare, Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, and Michael Mulinge Kitivi, Director of the Uniformed Capabilities Support Division. Representatives from UN human rights mechanisms attended the discussions.
Talks focused on Memorandum of Understanding negotiations, operational readiness, compliance with UN standards, and adherence to human rights requirements. The Sri Lankan delegation stressed the importance of a robust and transparent human rights screening process for all personnel selected for deployment.
The Ministry of Defence said all personnel would undergo structured training on the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (HRDDP), International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. It added that accountability mechanisms, including procedures for reporting and investigating allegations and the role of the National Investigation Officer, were also discussed.
Sri Lanka is developing a National Human Rights Vetting Mechanism applicable to all troops deploying for UN field missions, working in close coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator in Colombo.
The delegation included Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jayantha Jayasooriya, the Military Advisor, and other senior officials. The visit follows the pre-deployment training programme launched for selected Sri Lanka Army personnel earlier this month.
