The rejection of Sri Lanka's application to membership in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a clear expression of the international concern over the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka and a definitive call for appropriate and tangible steps to improve human rights in the island. It is also an acknowledgement of the miserable failure on the part of Sri Lanka to discharge its international obligations in relation to human rights and the lack of transparency and accountability in the government-established human rights mechanisms.