HUMAN RIGHT COMMISSION OF SRI LANKA - Annual report 2020 - The Commission held a special discussion with civil society organizations working on environmental rights on 19.08.2020 at the Commission premises. The catalyst for this discussion was the beach nourishment programme of the Mount Lavinia beach, where additional sediment was placed on the Mount Lavinia beach during a COVID-19 lockdown period. The newly added sediment was washed away by the waves, leading to controversy over the intentions behind the programme. At the same time, the media reported several incidents of forest clearance and the construction of a road through the Sinharaja forest reserve, which led to public outcry. Civil society organizations requested the Commission to pay attention to matters such as the removal of the requirement for sand and soil transportation permits; need to repeal circular 02/2005 which empowers divisional secretaries to acquire forests designated ‘reserve forests’ for other purposes; environmental damage caused by building a road through the Sinharaja forest reserve, the Mount Lavinia beach nourishment programme; and unauthorized clearing of Anavilandawa wetland lands in Puttalam. The Commission agreed to recognize environmental rights as an area for a thematic sub-committee and to formulate an intervention strategy for environmental issues as a matter of urgency. - HRCSL held a discussion on 16.09.2021 with civil society organizations working on migrant rights on the safety and rights of Sri Lankan migrant workers working abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. Issues such as the need for information kiosks at the Mattala airport for returning migrant workers, the cost of quarantining upon return which workers have to bear personally, including a COVID-19 cover in insurance policies for migrant workers, need to strengthen the Commission’s ties with the Abu Dhabi Dialogue and the Colombo Process, were highlighted during this discussion. As these were matters of urgency, the Commission informed that it will promptly raise these concerns with the responsible agencies. 82