The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has started monitoring the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, a day after the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the country.

The resolution, passed on Tuesday, calls for enhanced monitoring and reporting of the human rights condition in Sri Lanka. Daily Mirror reported the work began with the existing staff in the rights body. The OHCHR will hire 12 more employees in Sri Lanka, including legal advisors and human rights activists. 

The resolution also asked the UN to allocate a $2.3 million budget for the work. However, the funding would be approved by the UN General Assembly later this year.

The team would also collect and preserve evidence for future accountability. Presently, there is no threat of sanctions but the country could face sanction proposals in the long run. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, however, ruled out the possibility of trade or travel sanctions.

He said Sri Lanka has the support of permanent members of the UNSC and they would veto any such proposal if it comes.