{"id":151479,"date":"2025-08-21T16:44:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T23:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=151479"},"modified":"2025-08-21T16:44:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T23:44:28","slug":"urgent-appeal-protect-non-aligned-movement-sovereignty-against-unhrc-mandate-overreach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/08\/21\/urgent-appeal-protect-non-aligned-movement-sovereignty-against-unhrc-mandate-overreach\/","title":{"rendered":"Urgent Appeal: Protect Non-Aligned Movement Sovereignty against UNHRC Mandate Overreach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge<\/strong> Sri Lankan Analyst, and Advocate for National Sovereignty\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your Excellencies,<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I write to you as a concerned voice from Sri Lanka \u2014 the first nation to be made the testing ground of a dangerous precedent by the UNHRC, one that threatens every country in the Non-Aligned Movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Non-Aligned Movement was founded to protect sovereignty and equality of nations.<\/strong>Today, despite NAM representing 74% of the world\u2019s population and 82% of land together with China & Russia, just 20 nations are using Geneva to dictate to us all.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regrettably, some non-governmental organizations with questionable funding have singled out Sri Lanka for relentless targeting. Their selective focus raises a simple question: why Sri Lanka, and who funds campaigns that name Sri Lankan leaders, military personnel & officials as accused without any judicial process, trial or verdict of guilt & without opportunity for defense? This is political targeting, not accountability. If allowed to continue, this pattern will transform the Council into a political kangaroo court & a forum of jungle law bypassing both the UN Charter and the authority of the General Assembly and Security Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Dangerous Precedent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the UNHRC is allowed to proceed with mandate overreach \u2014 violating the UN Charter with a handful of nations drafting and passing resolutions with the complicity of High Commissioners \u2014 the injustice inflicted on Sri Lanka will soon be inflicted on other Non-Aligned States.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UNHRC was created in 2006 under Resolution 60\/251. However, while not presenting any resolution against Sri Lanka\u2019s non-state armed group LTTE \u2014 banned by 32 nations for its campaign of killings against Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and even an Indian Prime Minister \u2014 the Council has, after Sri Lanka ended the 30-year conflict in May 2009, passed successive intrusive, non\u2013conflict-related resolutions and demands. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong>    2009 (Special Session) \u2014 S-11\/2 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong>    2012 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/19\/2<\/strong> <\/strong>(U.S.-led; accountability\/reconciliation)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong>    2013 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/22\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(U.S.-led; follow-up on 2012)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.<\/strong>    2014 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/25\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(U.S.\/UK-led; mandated OHCHR investigation OISL\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.<\/strong>    2015 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/30\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(UK-led consensual roadmap\/rollover\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.<\/strong>    2017 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/34\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(UK-led rollover)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7.<\/strong>    2019 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/40\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(UK\/Canada\/Montenegro\/N. Macedonia\u2014rollover)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8.<\/strong>    2021 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/46\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(UK-led evidence preservation\u201d\/enhanced monitoring)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

9.<\/strong>    2022 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/RES\/51\/1<\/strong> <\/strong>(UK-led; broadened OHCHR Sri Lanka Accountability Project\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10.<\/strong> 2024 \u2014 **A\/HRC\/57\/**L.1 (UK\/Canada Core Group\u201d rollover\/updates)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

11.<\/strong> 2025 \u2014<\/strong> <\/strong>A\/HRC\/60\/21<\/strong> <\/strong>(Report of the High Commissioner \u2013 present dangerous precedent)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pattern clearly showcases mandate overreach, UN Charter violations, and intrusion into Sri Lanka\u2019s internal sovereignty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly the kind of precedent that could threaten all NAM nations if allowed to stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the UNHRC, just 20\u201325 nations can form a bloc and weaponize Geneva to name, shame, and sanction leaders of any NAM country that defends its sovereignty, fights terrorism, separatism, insurgency, or protects national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must remember who we are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      120-member states<\/strong>, NAM represents two-thirds of the United Nations membership<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      With a combined population of 4.4 billion people<\/strong> \u2014 about 55% of humanity<\/strong> \u2014 NAM is the majority voice of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      NAM countries control 95 million km\u00b2 of land<\/strong> \u2014 about 64% of Earth\u2019s land area<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7      Our economies together contribute ~$23 trillion in GDP (nominal)<\/strong>, or ~$65 trillion in PPP terms<\/strong> \u2014 a growing force in the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrast with the Resolution Sponsors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initial resolutions against Sri Lanka were driven largely by the United States \u2014 a nation of immense economic weight, with a GDP of nearly $29 trillion<\/strong>. Yet even Washington has since withdrawn from the Human Rights Council, calling it a cesspool of political bias\u201d<\/em>, distancing itself from the very process it once championed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What remains is a small circle of Western states \u2014 the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and a handful of others in Europe and Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without the US\/Canada\/Australia<\/strong>, the Western bloc shrinks to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       1.4% of the world\u2019s land<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       4\u20135% of the world\u2019s population<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       15\u201318% of global GDP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the US included<\/strong>, the Western bloc totals:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       19% of landmass<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       9% of population<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       ~47% of world GDP<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bloc represents neither the majority of peoples nor the moral compass of our age. Collectively, they are a minority of nations \u2014 wealthy but isolated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Balance of Power: NAM and its Strategic Partners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The imbalance is further exposed when one considers that, while the Western bloc relies on a handful of non-Western allies to inflate its voice, the Non-Aligned Movement is supported on principle by China and Russia<\/strong> \u2014 two permanent members of the UN Security Council who consistently resist Western unilateralism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China and Russia combined:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       Population:<\/strong> <\/strong>1.56 billion<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       Landmass:<\/strong> <\/strong>26.7 million km\u00b2<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       GDP:<\/strong> <\/strong>~$23 trillion nominal<\/strong> <\/strong>(\u2248$43 trillion PPP)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAM + China + Russia together:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       Population:<\/strong> <\/strong>~6.3 billion (\u224874% of the world)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       Landmass:<\/strong> <\/strong>~122 million km\u00b2 (\u224882% of the world)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       GDP:<\/strong> <\/strong>~$46 trillion nominal (\u2248$100 trillion PPP)<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the<\/strong> <\/strong>overwhelming global majority<\/strong> <\/strong>\u2014 in population, geography, and economic weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Call to Unity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/strong>The time has come to remember the founding principles of Bandung and Belgrade: non-alignment, sovereignty, equality, and resistance to neo-colonial interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       If Sri Lanka\u2019s precedent stands, tomorrow any NAM nation could be in the dock.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       If NAM remains silent, the principle of presumption of innocence will be replaced by trial by resolution & kangaroo courts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7       If NAM speaks with one voice, however, this experiment will end here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka appeals not for sympathy, but for solidarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is at stake is not just my country, but the future of all Non-Aligned States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, we represent the majority of the world\u2019s population, the majority of the United Nations, and an ever-growing share of the global economy. Together, we can demand adherence to the UN Charter, the equality of sovereign nations, and a return to fairness and legality in multilateral processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us unite & not allow UNHRC to weaponize human rights beyond its original mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today it is Sri Lanka. Tomorrow it may be your Nation. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But united, no NAM country will ever stand alone.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respectfully,
Shenali D Waduge<\/strong>
Sri Lankan Analyst, and Advocate for National Sovereignty\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge Sri Lankan Analyst, and Advocate for National Sovereignty\u00a0 Your Excellencies, I write to you as a concerned voice from Sri Lanka \u2014 the first nation to be made the testing ground of a dangerous precedent by the UNHRC, one that threatens every country in the Non-Aligned Movement. The Non-Aligned Movement was founded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}