HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA, Annual Report 2018 Meetings were also held with: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Mr.David Mckinnon, Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Mr.Bob Last, Deputy Head of the Political Team of the UK Mission to the United Nations in Geneva Mr. Knox Thames, Senior Advisor of the US Office of International Religious Freedom Ms. Joanna Roper, UK Special Envoy Ambassador of Norway and visiting delegation UNDP officials in Colombo The Asia Foundation in Colombo 6.4.2 Foreign funding received HRCSL received a majority of its funding from the treasury to carry out core activities. However, the Commission was also able to secure financial support through collaborations fostered between the HRCSL and international development partners. As such, HRCSL acknowledges and appreciates the corporation extended by the UNDP, UNHCR, and the Swiss Confederation for programmatic work of the Commission in 2018, which enabled the Commission to carry out its mandate effectively. The Swiss Confederation continued to support the clearing of the backlog of inquiries. The backlog of complaints contributed to the lack of public confidence in the Commission and the existing trust deficit. Through the grant, the Commission was able to garner resources to tackle the complaints backlog and provide remedies to complainants. This enabled the Commission to increase public confidence and trust in the institution, and also illustrate its ability to respond to the needs and concerns of the people of Sri Lanka, which is integral to its effectiveness. The Swiss Confederation also provided support to increase public awareness of human rights via activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). These activities included the first ever Youth Camp on human rights of the HRCSL; the semi-finals and grand finale of the human rights quiz competition; and 91